Season of the Witch
by weezerz2490
Summary: It all started with the flames. That was when her life truly began, when the nightmare ended. Melanie Snow thought that she had finally found a safe place where she could belong. Until the reigning Supreme returned and invited Death into the coven.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: So, I've had the idea for this story for a while, and now it's finally here! This is my first AHS fic, so I hope it's good enough to keep with the spirit of the series. Please let me know if you have any helpful suggestions.  
I own nothing but my OCs. This story will focus mostly on them. I picture Melanie being played by Chloe Grace Moretz, and I see Evan Peters as Michael. (If figure that if Sarah Paulson can play two characters in one season, so can he, right?) Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 1: Bitchcraft**

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Looking up from her low vantage point, she could barely make out the numbers on the wooden doors of each room she passed. The moans and screams and jazz music echoing through the maze of halls were the loudest that she had ever heard them before. She was close. The door of the room in front of her was slightly ajar. Curiosity winning out over fear, she pushed it open a little more to have peek inside. A man was standing over a large, antique metal tub. He had his back to her, so she could see part of the pinstriped suit that he had on beneath the rubber apron and rubber gloves he wore on top. His hands were moving erratically, holding objects that gleamed in the dim light. Knives. Her eyes widened when the dark liquid on the apron rolled down and dropped to the floor to form a bright read stain. The screams had stopped. So had the man's movements. Her grip tightened on the door as he turned to look at her. Just when she was about to see his face, the trumpet from the song blared loudly next to her ear, morphing into an obnoxious beeping sound.

The little girl, now a teenager, groaned groggily as she opened her eyes and found herself safe in her bed. She blinked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had tossed and turned so much during the night that most of her sheets were on the floor. She glared at the noisy alarm clock on her nightstand and felt around for its off button.

"Girl, you best shut that thing off before I throw it at the wall!" her roommate grumbled moodily, equally annoyed with the rude awakening. It was a huge relief when the damn thing finally shut up.

"Sorry, Queenie."

"Whoa, you have a nightmare, Melanie?" Queenie asked when she saw what a mess her normally neat bed was.

"Something like that," Melanie replied cryptically as she rolled out of bed. She quickly made her way to her desk and started writing about the incident in her journal using invisible ink, while Queenie caught a few more minutes of shuteye. She often recorded her dreams in this way. She couldn't remember anything about the first three years of her life. They were a complete blank apart from flashes of the color red, the hazy image of a beautiful woman, and the smell of a perfume that was either _Hypnotic Poison_ by Dior or something very similar. And these dreams about a strange hotel filled with darkness and death. Every counselor and shrink that she had talked to in her long history of therapy seemed to think these dreams were her mind's way of coping with whatever had happened to her in those missing years and her subsequent abandonment. She admitted that most of her dreams had a sort of surreal feeling about them, but she couldn't help but feel that they were more than that. She'd had them ever since she woke up in the hospital where she was being treated for some mysterious wounds that she had no recollection of receiving. When no one showed up to claim her, she was entered into foster care. That was the real nightmare.

There was a soft knock at the door before she heard the voice of Cordelia, the woman who had taken care of her ever since she was twelve. Her home for the last five years was an all girls' finishing school with free room and board. At least, that's what it appeared to be as far as the rest of the world was concerned. In reality, it was an academy for witches backed by an ancient coven whose origins reached as far back as the Salem Witch Trials. While the authorities of the time had been busy burning the falsely accused, the real witches got the heck out of dodge and eventually set up shop here in New Orleans. "Wake up, girls! It's breakfast time," their teacher called.

"Coming!" Melanie answered as Queenie sat up and threw off her covers to get ready for the day. Melanie put her journal away so she could get dressed, too.

For years, it had just been Melanie and Cordelia, but now there were currently two other students at the school beside herself and Queenie. One of them, Nan, was already at the kitchen table tucking into a plate of pancakes and fresh fruit. The three of them watched the news with Cordelia while they ate. It must be a slow day, because they were running the story about Misty Day again. The perpetrators still hadn't been caught. The last student, Madison Montgomery—a drama queen and a constant pain in the ass, finally showed up about halfway through. Just in time to hear Cordelia warn everyone that they had to be careful, because she happened to hear from a very reliable source that it had been confirmed that Misty Day had been a witch, too. Madison rolled her eyes and made a smartass comment that they all chose to ignore. Given her track record, Melanie doubted Madison's time there would last much longer. She wouldn't be at all surprised if Madison got sick of them and left before the year was up.

Melanie was ready to leave the table and head for the greenhouse to practice, but Cordelia wasn't done. "And last, but not least, I have a very important announcement to make, girls," she said patiently. "A new student will be arriving today, so please make her feel welcome when she gets here."

Madison smirked. She knew exactly how she wanted to 'welcome' the new girl. She finally looked at her the plate in front of her and groaned in annoyance. "Don't you have anything less fattening?" Madison asked, turning her nose up at the wholesome breakfast that Spalding had served her.

"This is New Orleans. We eat real food here." Melanie quipped, stuffing the last piece of her blueberry pancake in her mouth.

"Damn straight," Queenie agreed. She didn't know what the skinny bitch's problem was. The food here was great, and that girl could use a little more meat on her bones.

"You should eat more," Nan said in agreement.

"Whatever, bitches," Madison said, eating a piece of fruit. "You think you can look this hot without making sacrifices? I bet Urkel here throws it all up afterwards." How else could someone like Melanie eat so much and stay so skinny. Of course Melanie did no such thing. She would never disrespect her food like that.

"She doesn't," Nan said.

"Whatever!" Madison huffed, annoyed. That just made her hate Melanie even more. She couldn't wait till the new girl got there. Maybe then she could finally have some fun in this fricking mausoleum.

Later, while Cordelia was away on the weekly trip to the grocery store, she decided to recruit the others for her plan. "Hey, what do you say we give the new girl a scare?"

Queenie glanced at Nan and Melanie, who had her nose buried in a book the moment she came back from the greenhouse. "I'm in. It's not like there's anything better to do around here." It was a slow day without any lessons to attend. And she had just finished polishing off the last bag of chips.

"Okay," Nan agreed brightly. Like Queenie already said, there was nothing else to do, and she was bored.

"Not interested." Melanie said without even bothering to look up from her book. She was rereading the first book in the _Game of Thrones_ series. Madison rolled her eyes. She should have known.

"Fine. Just don't get in our way," the Hollywood brat sneered.

"Fine. Just don't break anything," Melanie retorted coolly, turning to the next page in her book. She didn't really care what they did as long as it didn't cause trouble for Cordelia.

Melanie had continued reading in her room and had just reached the part where Ned Stark was about to die, when she heard the screams. It sounded like bloody murder downstairs. Deciding she should probably make sure Madison hadn't maimed anyone, she sighed and shut the book. She could hear their voices as she came down the stairs. It sounded like they were in the main room where they kept the gallery of previous Supremes' portraits.

Madison was talking. "O dark father, we offer this flesh up to you, blood, life, and all." Melanie rolled her eyes internally as she approached the room and saw how she was standing over the girl that they had thrown onto the table with a dagger in her hand. What a drama queen. She even had the others dress up with her in black cloaks and masks with long, curved noses.

"Get the hell off me!" the new girl screamed, sending out a burst of magic in her fear that made the candles flare up and soot and sparks shoot out of the fireplace. Madison dropped the knife in her hand as she and the others quickly moved back to a safer distance.

"Jesus, Sabrina, relax," Madison said, removing her mask and hood. She smirked as she flipped her golden blonde hair over her shoulder. "We're just messing with you."

The new girl's eyes were wide with surprise. She looked stunned. "Holy shit. Are you…?"

"Madison Montgomery, movie star," Madison finished coolly, eating up the attention. She loved it when people recognized her.

"Shit," Queenie said, removing her mask, too. "When's the last time you made a movie, girl?"

"I'm Nan. Hi." Nan said, flashing the new girl a smile once her mask was off.

"Zoe," the new girl introduced herself. She was very pretty with long, straight, light brown hair, large almond-shaped brown eyes, and a flawless peaches and cream complexion. She was wearing a long black dress, a thin, long-sleeved black sweater, and black ankle boots.

"Queenie," Queenie said.

"Melanie," Melanie said, alerting them to her presence. Zoe whipped her head around to look at her, shocked to see another person standing there the whole time. Though, this one seemed normal compared to the others since she was just wearing a black vintage rolling stones t-shirt, red shorts, and a pair of white converses. Her braided hair was a gorgeous shade of platinum blonde that looked like strands of moonlight. Her pale skin had a healthy glow, and her green eyes shined with intelligence. It was a shame she had such an unfriendly expression on her face.

"So bored now," Madison sighed, wondering why Melanie was only bitchy towards her. It never occurred to her that Melanie was just paying her back in kind for the way she treated everyone else.

"So, is this all of you?" Zoe asked.

"At the moment," Cordelia said as she stepped into the room to join them. She must have just returned. "Cordelia Foxx, headmistress," she introduced herself to Zoe before turning her eyes on Melanie and the others. Looking at them, she could pretty much guess what must have happened while she was gone. "Alright, girls. There's a van full of groceries in the driveway that needs unloading. I'll show Zoe to her room, then we meet for Midday Gathering. Let's _go_." She added pointedly when only Melanie started leaving to do as she was told. Madison, Queenie, and Nan tossed their masks on the table and finally moved to follow their classmate out. Cordelia gave Zoe a kind smile and began showing her around the house.

While they unloaded the car and brought the groceries inside, Melanie knew Cordelia was giving Zoe the same speech about the school's history that she had given her when she was first brought here. The same one she gave Nan, then Queenie, and Madison. Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies was established as a premiere girls' finishing school in 1790. During the Civil War, it was converted into a military hospital. Afterwards, it came under new management. Our management. In 1868, Marianne Wharton, a prominent East Coast society matron, early suffragette, author of several popular children's books—and, as it happened, the reigning Supreme of that time—purchased this facility, retaining the name as a cover, establishing a safe haven where young witches could gather to learn. In it's heyday, the academy was home to as many as sixty girls.

Melanie, Queenie, Nan, and Madison plopped themselves down on the chairs and couches in the sitting room for the Midday Gathering when they finished with the groceries. Spalding set out tea and cookies on the coffee table. Melanie knew from the smell that it was Earl Grey. She poured herself a cup, dropped in a sugar cube, and finished adding a slice of lemon just when Cordelia and Zoe came over to join them, still talking. Cordelia had just reached the part about how our, the witches', numbers have been dwindling.

"Why?" Zoe asked as they sat down.

"We're a dying breed, Zoe," Cordelia answered. "Many of the families who knew they carried the bloodline made a choice not to reproduce." Melanie sometimes wondered if that was why her parents had abandoned her; if they hadn't wanted her because they knew she was a witch.

"So, what's a Supreme?" Zoe asked.

"An average witch is born with a few natural gifts. But in each generation there is one woman who embodies countless gifts. Some say… all of them," Cordelia explained. "She is the Supreme."

"Are you the Supreme?" Zoe asked.

Queenie and Madison chuckled and snorted at that as though she'd said something funny. Melanie narrowed her eyes slightly and shot them a look over the top of her teacup, while Nan just quietly stirred her tea. Melanie knew this was a sensitive topic for the older witch.

"No," Cordelia said with a weak smile and faltering voice. "I'm like you. Just a witch. And a teacher. I'm here to help you identify your gifts and teach you how to control them."

"She means to suppress them," Queen said.

"Not suppression. Control," Cordelia corrected her.

"She thinks it's still the 1600s," Madison said sassily.

"It's worse," Melanie spoke up. "Nowadays you can't even sneeze without it ending up on the internet. Imagine what would happen if someone caught you doing magic and recorded it with their phone." Queenie furrowed her brow slightly in concern, while Madison scoffed and rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Teacher's pet."

"No, Melanie's right. Back then, our kind understood the dangers. Today, so many families know nothing of their ancestry. Too many girls aren't lucky enough to have found us or weren't identified in time for us to have found them. Like that poor Cajun girl just outside Lafayette a few months back," Cordelia said. She knew she was probably beating a horse to death by revisiting the subject so many times, but she felt that she could not stress enough the grave importance of the danger that the incident represented to their kind. She was worried that Melanie appeared to be the only one taking it seriously. "Misty Day. She wasn't much older than any of you. And she had a gift, the power of resurgence. Misty could reach into that place between life and death and draw a soul back from the precipice, back to this side, back to life. To some, this appeared to be the God-touched power of resurrection. To others, necromancy."

"So what happened to her?" asked Zoe.

"The same thing that's happened to women like us throughout the centuries," Cordelia replied. Zoe just stared at her, waiting for further explanation.

"They burned her at the stake." Melanie said. Zoe was properly horrified by this revelation. They burned someone alive? In this day in age?

"We are under siege, ladies," Cordelia continued. "Our lives, our very existence, is always at risk. Know this, or face extinction."

The rest of the afternoon was just as uneventful as the morning had been. Melanie made sure that Nox, their black cat, who lived in the greenhouse, had plenty of food and water in his bowls and returned to her book. She assumed Zoe spent the time settling into her new room, which she would be sharing with Madison. No one envied her. She wasn't sure how the others occupied their time, but it wasn't until supper that things started to heat up again.

Spalding was serving the soup when Madison said, "Hey, Jeeves. Can I get some iceberg lettuce with a side of blue cheese?" Melanie didn't understand why she always had to insist on being difficult. Or her penchant for wearing fur in hot and humid Louisiana. It wasn't even winter yet.

"Girl, be nice to Spalding," Queenie scolded her. "Poor bastard ain't got no tongue."

"Is that true, Jeeves? Did you use your tongue for something wicked?" Madison taunted the silent butler. "Or maybe you just suck at going down." Spalding was obviously upset by her teasing, because he set Zoe's bowl down in front of her with a little more force than necessary. "Oh, come on, Jeeves!" Madison called after him as he turned on his heel and left, pushing the serving cart back to the kitchen. "Show us your stub! Maybe we can put it to use!" Queenie gave her a look of disgust and disappointment. Melanie just shook her head while breaking off a piece from the loaf of bread so she could slather it with butter. "So, new girl…" Madison said, ignoring them, as she turned to Zoe, "… what are you in for?"

"Her boyfriend," Nan said. Zoe tried to hide the pain she felt at the mere mention of it, but it was still fairly obvious.

"Nan, shut up before you get your ass in trouble," Queenie told her.

"Did you kill him?" Madison asked.

"No. It was an accident." Zoe replied quietly. But the truth was she still blamed herself.

"It was an accident, Zoe," Nan reassured her. "And you will find love again. A strange and unexpected… love."

Queenie slammed her spoon on the table. "Girl, are you deaf or just stupid?" The new girl obviously wasn't comfortable with the subject.

"Tell us about this accident," Madison said, picking up her glass to have a sip of water. "And don't spare all the gory details."

"So, why are you here?" Zoe asked, turning the conversation back on her. That was a good move. Madison loved talking about herself.

Madison set her glass back down on the table. "My agent staged an intervention. Ever since my drunk and disorderly, I get blamed for all kinds of shit that I didn't do."

"But you did it. You killed the man," Nan said seriously.

"I get it, bitch, you're clairvoyant," Madison snapped, pissed that she called her out. She let out a sigh of annoyance and turned back to Zoe. "Do you want to know what happened?" Without waiting for an answer, she went on to explain how she had been rehearsing for an onstage production. She was annoyed because the director kept getting on her case about not hitting her mark, saying the light couldn't hit her if she wasn't on it. She then responded by loosening the part that kept the stage light fastened to the rigging above the stage so that it fell and crashed into the top of his skull as he stepped up to show her how it was done. It was an instant K.O. "The light hit him just fine," she concluded without a shred of remorse.

"All he said was 'hit your mark,'" Queenie said, disgusted.

"Hn," Madison laughed. "Hey, I'm not the only killer here. A little birdy told me your roomie killed her last foster father. Set him on fire just by looking at him." she said with a smirk. She had caught a glimpse of Melanie's file when she and her agent were having a word with Cordelia in her office. Cordelia, who had been adding additional notes on the young witch's progress, had closed it quickly once they entered the room, but not quickly enough. Melanie's grip on her knife tightened ever so slightly and the candles' flames grew bigger and brighter at the mention of the man. Zoe glanced between the two blondes she was seated in the middle of, wondering if she should be worried for her safety. Melanie wasn't denying it.

" _He_ actually deserved it," Nan said in her defense. Melanie didn't talk about it. Ever. But Nan could hear what had happened in her mind. Steven Pritchard was a bad man. "Don't worry, Melanie's nicer than she looks," Nan reassured Zoe. Despite her outwardly cold attitude, she really did care. She just suffered from resting bitch face.

Queenie glared at Madison. "Why don't you just do the world a favor and take an acting class, you D-list, Botox bimbo." Zoe smiled slightly at the epic burn the star had just received. Madison wasn't so amused. She retaliated by using her powers to flip Queenie's bowl of soup into her lap. Outraged, Queenie immediately threw her bowl back on the table, grabbed a fork, and stabbed herself in the hand.

"Ow!" Madison screamed, crying out in pain as Queenie twisted the fork, using her magic to redirect the damage to her. Zoe gasped in shock as she stared at the line of little puncture wounds that had suddenly appeared on Madison's now bleeding hand. "Stop it, you bitch!"

"Stop what? I don't feel nothin'. I'm a human voodoo doll. You like this?" Queenie asked with a smirk, wiggling the fork around some more as she applied more pressure to deepen the wound.

"Stop!" Nan cried, grabbing her hand. "You're… you're gonna get in trouble. Queenie, stop!" She managed to wrestle the fork away, but Queenie had had enough of Madison's bullshit. She grabbed the long knife by the bread and held it to her throat.

"I'll do it," Queenie said, daring Madison to give her a reason.

"Queenie," Melanie said firmly, finally speaking up. "No murder at the dinner table." It wasn't that she didn't appreciate how she felt, but blood was hard to clean up, and she didn't feel like having to hide a body tonight. Not to mention, grievously harming another witch would mean being burned at the stake. Queenie just stared at her in disbelief.

"Come on. Let's go for a walk," Nan said, trying to help calm her down.

"A walk?" Queenie asked incredulously. She glanced one more time between Nan's worried face and the cool expression on Melanie's before finally throwing the knife back on the table. "Fine. I'm not hungry anyway."

Madison exhaled a sigh of relief, massaging her sore hand as Queenie left with Nan to go cool off. "Like anyone believes that," Madison said grudgingly, referring to the large witch's claim that she had lost her appetite.

"Shut up," Melanie said sternly, shooting her glare so harsh that it made Zoe shudder.

Being an actress, Madison was able to cover her own fear a little better. "Well, that was disturbing," she said, pretending she hadn't heard her. "Given the choices around here, it looks like you're my new best friend," she told Zoe while Melanie continued to eat her soup. Madison picked up her phone and glanced at the screen when it vibrated. "Do you own any clothes that don't come from the gap?" she asked her new "friend."

"Not really," Zoe answered dryly. "Why?"

Madison sighed as she looked at her. They were about the same size. "You can borrow something of mine. Frat party tonight. Just got the tweet." Zoe didn't exactly look thrilled.

"Feel free to say 'no.'" Melanie told her.

"What about you, Human Torch? Wanna party?" Madison asked her. It was always nice to show up with an entourage, especially one made of attractive girls who were hot, but not too hot. And three was a nice, round number. It helped her stand out and appear more desirable, not that she really needed help with that.

"I'd rather stay home and read," Melanie replied without an ounce of hesitation.

"What's the matter?" Madison asked. "Afraid you'll lose control?"

Melanie carefully set her spoon down and looked at her. "The last time I lost control someone died. So, unless you're volunteering, I think I'll pass," she retorted smartly.

Meanwhile, Cordelia was in the greenhouse, working on a new potion. She was so focused on her work, that she didn't realize someone was sneaking up on her from behind until she felt a hand stroke her ponytail. She gasped, so startled that she dropped the vial she was holding.

"Ooh!" The intruder said as the glass shattered on the stone floor. "You dropped your cocktail," her mother, Fiona Goode, teased with a laugh.

"I thought you were in Switzerland," Cordelia said, surprised to see her there. She wished she could say it was a pleasant one.

"LA," Fiona corrected her. "It's tragic. The glamour's gone. They put a shopping mall on Sunset and Vine."

Cordelia stared at the mess on the floor with irritation. "I don't have a broom."

Fiona laughed. "That's ironic."

"Los Angeles," Cordelia said, returning to the topic of her mother's travels. "Why do you look so jet-lagged?"

"I happen to look wonderful," Fiona said defensively.

"Let me make you something," Cordelia said, using a rag to pick up and move the shards of broken glass to the waste basket. "I've been working on a restorative that I've been experimenting with. This will fix you right up."

"Delia, with her potions and powders," Fiona said, watching as her daughter mixed the ingredients together. "You know, one of my greatest disappointments in life is that you never fully realized the extent of your power."

"I've done pretty well," Cordelia said. She was proud of her work at the school, especially when it came to Melanie. She still remembered the first day she arrived at the school. She had been so small, so guarded. So afraid to let anyone get too close. That poor girl had come a long way after everything she'd been through.

"You are the only child of the Supreme. You have royal blood running in your veins," Fiona reminded her. "You could be ruling the world."

"I like my little kingdom here, thank you," Cordelia said, holding out a small beaker for her mother filled with the finished potion.

"Yeah, well, your little kingdom is a mess," Fiona said, taking the sizzling concoction. She gave it a sniff before drinking and grimaced. She decided to dump the offending potion in the cat's food dish.

"No! Oh…" Cordelia exclaimed, rushing to pick it up before Nox had a chance to eat it. Melanie would be heartbroken if anything happened to him. "You bitch. It wouldn't have killed you."

"Just put me in a coma for a couple of days?" Fiona asked.

"Or weeks. Look, why don't you just go away?" Cordelia asked her. "I don't want you here. How else do you want me to say it?"

"You're still angry," Fiona said, lighting up a cigarette. "I can tell."

"My God, you _are_ the Supreme," Cordelia retorted sarcastically, stuffing moss into an empty bottle.

Fiona took a drag on her cigarette and exhaled the smoke. "I was just on this wonderful retreat with Shirley MacLaine in Sedona. It was all about forgiveness."

"You dumped me here," Cordelia reminded her. She practically abandoned her.

"You were sent to an elite boarding school. Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo," Fiona said, completely unapologetic. "You know, I've often thought that my big mistake with you was waiting so long before sending you away."

"Enough," Cordelia said, cutting her off before she could say another hurtful word. "Show yourself out."

"No. I'm not going," Fiona said stubbornly. "I'm staying. I'm here to help you. Do you know that not fifty miles from here a young woman was burned at the stake? It's Salem all over again. There is a storm coming. And _you_ ," Cordelia looked up at that, "are leaving these poor girls under your charge completely unprepared for it."

"I am aware of what's happening," Cordelia said, annoyed. "My entire teaching philosophy—"

"Has been an abject failure," Fiona interjected. "You teach them to cower. And to hide in the shadows. Well, there are no shadows, not anymore. Do you really think with Twitter and Facebook that a witch does anything at all she won't be videotaped and turned into some… viral freak show like a dog who says 'I love you'?"

"No, no, no," Cordelia said quickly, shaking her head. "This is my life. You can't come in here and piss all over it. I will call the council."

"Do. Call the council," Fiona said with a laugh. "And then you can explain to them why you think it's a bad idea for the Supreme to teach them."

"When are you gonna die and stop ruining my life?"

Coming from her daughter, those words hurt Fiona more than she would ever admit out loud. She sighed. "I'm here. I'm staying. So why don't we make the best of it?"

"I thought you weren't coming," Madison said as she drove to the party with Zoe in the passenger seat and Melanie in the back with her stupid book.

"I changed my mind," Melanie said with a shrug. After dinner, she had an odd feeling about the party, so she did a reading. She often did one whenever Madison snuck out, just to be on the safe side. While shuffling her deck of tarot cards, three fell out, indicating they were related to something that needed her attention right away. The cards were Death, The Devil, and The Lovers. Despite the ominous name, Death usually represented change rather than actual physical death. The Lovers was probably related to Nan's prediction that Zoe would find a 'strange and unexpected love'. The card that really worried her was The Devil. That card was never good. Something bad always happened whenever it turned up in her readings. And her readings had an accuracy rate of about 98%. They were so accurate that one of her foster mothers, an over zealous religious fanatic, used to hit her and lock her in the closet for playing with the tarot deck, and even went so far as to ask a priest for an exorcism. Fortunately, the priest was a reasonable man who reported the woman to child services when he saw the bruises and other signs of abuse. After that, Melanie had been promptly removed from that home and placed in another. Anyway, she had a nagging feeling that some kind of disaster or tragedy might occur, but she couldn't be certain whether it would be aimed at Madison or Zoe. It may even be both. She knew that nothing she said would ever convince Madison not to go the party, so Melanie figured she'd better go with her and Zoe to keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't get into trouble.

"Whatever," Madison said, deciding she didn't really care why. At least she was wearing something decent that didn't clash with her dress. She didn't even know Melanie owned party clothes, but apparently she did. Tonight the antisocial introvert was wearing a burgundy 90s style mini dress with spaghetti straps and with a pair of strappy nude heels and a matching wallet purse slung over her shoulders.

The moment they were through the doors, Madison paused to strike a pose that she thought would highlight her assets and flipped her hair over her shoulder, enjoying the effect it had on the masses that had already started to party. While Madison was basking in the glow of all the attention she was getting, Melanie took a moment to look around and immediately regretted it.

 _Crap,_ she thought when she accidentally made eye contact with a boy who wasn't much older than them. Not wanting to get involved, she quickly looked away, but she could still feel his eyes on her.

"What's a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?" Madison asked. The response was immediate.

"Come with me," a preppy-looking girl with a pink sweater wrapped around her shoulders said, grabbing the star's hand to lead her away to fulfill her request. The moment Melanie and Zoe moved to follow, the other two girls seemed to be swallowed up by the crowd, and they lost sight of them completely.

"And she's gone," Melanie said, irritated that they had been separated so easily.

"Now what?" Zoe asked as they were approached by the boy Melanie had mistakenly made eye contact with. Apparently ignoring him hadn't been a big enough hint that she wasn't interested.

"Hi. I'm Michael. Want a drink?" He asked above the throbbing music, offering to show her to one of the refreshment tables. He had a charming smile, dark eyes, and dark, curly hair. Zoe smiled slightly and decided to give them some space. Melanie tried to stop her, but it was too late. She grimaced slightly in annoyance. That traitor! How dare she leave her alone in such an awkward situation? And what was with this crowd? Why did it have to keep producing people she wanted to avoid and swallowing up the people she didn't?

Michael cleared his throat as a reminder that he was still there. "Uh, no thanks," She said, turning to leave. Just being in the room with all these people was enough social interaction as far as she was concerned. She was surprised when he suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Hey—"

"You don't remember me, do you?" He asked seriously, eyes darkening. Melanie blinked and stared at him in confusion. "I know it's been seven years, but I'd recognize that hair and those eyes anywhere. Don't tell me you forgot about the time you spent with the Rousseaus?"

Melanie could feel the blood drain from her face as the connection between this college boy named Michael and the twelve-year-old named Michael that she had known years ago suddenly clicked into place. She could see it now, the resemblance. It was _him._ The Rousseaus had taken in several foster children in addition to herself. The oldest of the children, Michael, was a bully who loved to push the other kids around. Something wasn't right about him. Melanie had sensed that right away, and her suspicions were confirmed when she noticed that he had a habit of digging in the back yard just before and after one of the neighborhood pets went missing. The adults thought it was a stray coyote. But Melanie knew better. So when she found a stray kitten, she hid it in the crawlspace under the house with a cardboard box for a bed and was very careful when she brought it scraps from her dinner. But not careful enough. After seven weeks, she crawled under the house and was horrified by what she found. The poor thing had been killed, and all of its fur had been skinned clean off. She knew at once who was responsible. That kitten had been her only friend in that house, and Michael had murdered it.

With ice in her eyes and fire in her veins, Melanie ripped her arm free from his grip and disappeared into the crowd, ignoring his calls for her to wait. She didn't want anything to do with that psychopath. Why was the creep even in Louisiana in the first place? Why leave California to attend college _here_?

"Melanie! Melanie! Shit!" Michael cursed as he pushed through the crowd, trying to find her again. He still remembered the day she found the cat. It'd been burned into his memory like hot brand. The day that quiet girl, who always kept her head down and never did anything to stick out, suddenly flew at him in a rage like some kind of wild thing—scratching and clawing and biting—calling him a 'murderer'. That was the first time he had ever seen his own blood. Their foster parents had her moved to another home right away. He hated them for that. He'd been searching for her ever since. It was as if she had suddenly dropped off the face of the earth. But here she was, hanging around some random frat party. He wasn't about to let her get away again.

Melanie searched everywhere for the other girls. She spotted Zoe talking to a boy with curly blonde hair near the stairs, but she couldn't find Madison anywhere. She decided to head for Zoe first. Maybe she knew where Madison was. Drawing closer, she could hear some of their conversation. "Kyle, I like you," Zoe said. "But it's not gonna work out. Have you seen Madison?"

That worried Melanie. "You don't know where she is, either?" she asked, hoping the card reading wasn't about to come true. The boy was surprised when she suddenly popped up next to him. Melanie was surprised, too. He looked like a blonde version of Michael, which was rather disturbing. Fortunately, his brown eyes didn't seem to hold the same darkness as her childhood tormentor.

"Uh, hello?" He said with an awkward smile that was actually kind of cute as he glanced between the two girls.

"Hi." Melanie answered with a straight face.

"This is Melanie, she's a friend," Zoe explained. "She's not with you?"

"No, I was hoping you'd found her," Melanie said with a frown. "Zoe, we need to find her before she gets into trouble."

"Alright, let's split up. We can cover more ground that way," Zoe suggested.

"No. We have to stick together," Melanie said, taking a firm hold of her hand as they walked off to look for Madison. "It's not safe." Zoe wondered why she would say something like that, but Melanie looked so serious that she didn't question it. In fact, she said it with such conviction, that Zoe was sure something bad would happen if she let go. She cast a worried glance back at Kyle, hoping he would be all right.

Despite all their searching they couldn't find her, and they ended up right back with Kyle. "Hey, we can't find her anywhere," Zoe said, starting to get worried, too.

"What, you think she ditched you?" Kyle asked. Both girls scoffed at that. They wouldn't be surprised. But Melanie had a gut feeling that this was something worse than that. Seeing how concerned the two girls looked, Kyle said, "I'll look around upstairs. Hang on."

 _Upstairs…_ the word seemed to echo in Melanie's mind as they watched him go. It rang true somehow, like she had found the answer she was looking for. Madison was upstairs. "Come on," she said, grabbing Zoe's hand again as they followed after him. They could hear raised voices coming from one of the rooms.

One of them was Kyle's. "Are you out of your mind _!_?" he shouted angrily. Zoe and Melanie had to press up against the wall to get out of the way as several frat boys wearing the same polo shirt as him came barreling down the stairs one after the other. Kyle ran straight past them, chasing after the others boys while shouting at them to stop. The girls shared a confused glance and moved cautiously into the room. It was empty apart from the bed, where Madison lay curled up in ball, crying and moaning in pain.

"Madison?" Zoe asked, making sure she wasn't seeing things. Madison whimpered in response.

"Shit!" Melanie cursed. She and Zoe rushed over to her side to check on her.

"Madison, hey," Zoe said, placing a hand on her shoulder to help her roll over. "Hey, did they give you something? Melanie, what…?" she trailed off when she saw the look of pure rage on the other girl's face as she stared down at Madison, taking in every detail of the damage that had been done.

Melanie had clenched her fists so hard at her side, her nails were about to break the skin and draw blood. "They raped her." With that one sentence, she was off like a shot, hurling herself out the room and down the stairs after the boys. Zoe stared after her, eyes wide with horror. No, no. She wished Melanie was wrong, but deep down a part of Zoe had already known. Melanie was right.

"It hurts," Madison whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. Zoe grabbed a blanket and put it over her so she wouldn't feel so exposed.

"Okay, look, stay here, okay? We're not—We're not gonna let 'em get away with this," she promised, taking off to join Melanie in hunting down Madison's rapists.

Melanie sprinted after them as best as she could in her heels, but they had a good lead on her. She could hear the argument between Kyle and his frat brothers after they boarded the bus through the open doors. She was almost there when the bus driver came tumbling out and the doors shut behind him.

"No!" she screamed, banging on the side of the bus as it started rolling. "Stop! Stop, you bastards!" She started running again as it picked up speed and began to pull ahead. "Stop!"

"Stop!" Zoe started screaming too as she joined the futile chase.

"I said _stop_!" Melanie roared angrily, her eyes stinging with unshed tears, while Zoe began panting and crying. Melanie clenched her fists and glared at the back wheel on the passenger side of the bus until it burst into flames, taking care to keep the fire contained and under her control. The metal rim screeched against pavement as the tire blew, but it wasn't enough to stop them. The bus kept rolling. Melanie got ready to blow another one, when Madison suddenly walked past them from behind. She stopped and stood in front of them, sniffing as tears streamed down her face while she glared at the bus. She raised her hand, and the next thing they knew, the entire bus had flipped end over end. Several people who were outside the house screamed as the bus continued to tumble. There was an explosion, and the undercarriage burst into flames. For a moment, the three witches just stood there. Then Madison turned and started walking back the way they had come, heading for the car. Zoe was too shocked to move. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the burning bus. Kyle had been on it.

"Zoe," Melanie said, turning her away from the wreck. "Zoe. We have to go now." She started herding her fellow witch to the car. She spared a glance back at the house, where she could make out the glowing screens of phones being pulled out one after the other. One of them would call for help. Right now, they had to get as far away from the scene of the crime as possible. She hoped the boy who had tried to help them survived.

Michael stood out on the lawn, staring in awe at the destruction. He had caught sight of Melanie weaving her way through the crowd and followed her. He had seen the whole thing from start to finish. His face twisted into a smile and his eyes gleamed with excitement. If Melanie thought she could escape from him, she was sorely mistaken. He knew how to find her now. Because she was a witch. And he was a hunter.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I was originally planning for this story to go in a different direction—possibly leading into a sequel involving Jame March from AHS Hotel—but someone has made a request for Kyle and Melanie to end up together. Should Melanie end up with Kyle? Both Kyle and Zoe? Or a future relationship with James March? Please comment if you have any suggestions or preferences.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Boy Parts**

* * *

Melanie whimpered as he ran his hands up her legs. Frightened tears stained her young cheeks. She pulled frantically against the restraints on her wrists, but she couldn't break free. "Please… please, don't…" she begged. But he wasn't listening anymore. After spending two years grooming her to his liking, the man that she thought had accepted her as his own daughter had finally shown his true character. He told her how beautiful she was, how soft her skin was, how much he loved her. But no amount of 'love' in the world could make him stop. The pain she felt as he violated was excruciating. Not just physically, but mentally. She had trusted him. Even though she knew there was something odd about him, she had trusted him. Because he was the first adult to take an active interest in her. In place of the abuse or neglect that she had known before, he gave her love and attention. He was the first 'parent' she ever had that wanted to officially adopt her. He had treated her like a princess. That's what he called her as he stole her innocence and betrayed her. His _princess._ She screamed and cried and begged with all her might, but he never stopped. Not until he was satisfied.

She awoke with a gasp, covered in sweat and clutching her sheets like a lifeline. The nightmare must have been triggered by what happened to Madison last night. It was like having an old wound ripped open again. The pain. The shame. The humiliation. They felt just as fresh as the night it happened. She had wanted to die. Anything to escape from _him._ When it was finally over, he untied her wrists and stroked her hair. He had the nerve to be upset when she flinched away from his touch. "The first time always hurts," he had said, "but don't worry, you'll get used to it. I'll try to be more gentle next time." Next time. She nearly threw up when she heard those words. He intended to do it again. And again. She wouldn't let him. She glared at his back with intense hatred as he turned to get dressed. She wished that he could feel her pain. She wanted him dead. Her wish was granted. In an instant, her current foster father, Steven Pritchard, burst into flames. He was so startled that he panicked and ran screaming through the house instead of stopping to try to put himself out. The house started to burn, too. Melanie watched the flames spread across the walls of her room as she lay on the bed. Part of her thought it would be better if she died right there and then. But Melanie had never been a quitter. She had spent too long doing her best to survive to stop now. She forced herself up from the bed and broke the locked window with a chair so she could climb out and escape from the house before the fire finished spreading through her room. Then she sat on the lawn and watched it burn. One of the neighbors must have called the police, because the firefighters hadn't taken very long to show up. Steven always had been popular. No one knew what a monster he truly was. They took her to the hospital, where the police came later to confront her. There had been a hidden camera in her room, probably so Steven could watch her while she was dressing. But the cops didn't seem to be interested in that. Some of the footage had survived the fire, the part that showed him spontaneously combusting. The older of the two men seemed more concerned with this than the fact that she had just been raped. The way he talked about the traumatizing experience as if it were nothing—as if it were somehow _her_ fault—Melanie might have set him on fire, too, if the Council hadn't arrived to sweep her off to Robichaux's. This place had really saved her. The pain that man left with her would probably never go away completely. But at least now she had the tools she needed to be able to live with it. Myrtle Snow, the witch who had come to take her away, was like her fairy godmother. She became her legal guardian and gave her a new last name so she wouldn't have to stay a Pritchard. And Cordelia was the closest thing to a real mother that she had ever known.

Speaking of Cordelia, Melanie knew she should probably come clean to her about the previous night's events. They needed to be prepared for the worst. She turned to look at her alarm clock to see what time it was, only to discover that it had been unplugged and thrown across the room. She must have slept through it. Queenie always said she'd throw it against the wall one of these days. Melanie shrugged it off and got dressed for the day, pulling on a t-shirt that said "fries before guys" in red letters, jean shorts, and a pair of red Toms.

The story about the bus crash was already running on the news when she reached the kitchen. Breakfast was set up buffet style today; serve yourself. Melanie started loading her plate up with food while she kept her eyes on the TV. Zoe joined them just in time to hear that there were two survivors. Zoe glanced anxiously at Melanie. Kyle could still be alive. Melanie gave her a subtle nod to indicate that they should keep listening. Seven of the nine boys had died in the crash, but two of them were still alive and had been rushed to Troost Medical Center. They were both in critical condition. But because the official wouldn't confirm the identities of the deceased, they had no clue who had lived and who died. The broadcast was cut short when Madison strolled into the room and switched it off without bothering to ask permission.

"Hey, I was watching that!" Nan said.

"Why? It's yesterday's news," Madison said carelessly. She didn't want to waste another second of her life on those assholes who raped her. "You got any Greek yogurt?" she asked Spalding. He turned away to fetch some from the refrigerator, and Zoe hurried over to have a word with her as inconspicuously as she could. Melanie stayed at the breakfast table and watched, straining her ears to listen.

"We have to tell somebody what happened," Zoe said, keeping her voice low. "The one I met—Kyle—Madison, he tried to stop it. Okay, and he was on that bus." Nan looked up from her mug of hot chocolate. There was a knowing look in her eyes as she glanced at Melanie. She knew.

 _Don't say anything yet,_ Melanie thought, hoping she would get the message. She was going to take Madison and Zoe to tell Cordelia after breakfast. Nan started to nod her head, when an older woman whom none of them had ever met before sauntered into the room like she owned the place.

"What are we talking about?" she asked. "College boys? Taken in the prime of their lives. Such a tragedy. Almost makes you want to cry, doesn't it?" she said with a glance at Zoe. "But, then, the world's not gonna miss a bunch of assholes in Ed Hardy t-shirts."

"Who are you?" Madison asked full of attitude. Melanie was pretty sure she thought she knew. Magic was humming in the air around the older woman, and she could see a certain family resemblance. She had the same blonde hair and dark eyes as Cordelia. This must be her mother, Fiona. She had been warned about her before.

"You know, I've got to hand it to you," Fiona continued on without bothering to answer the question. "A bus flip? That's not easy. But you were a sloppy little witch bitch," she told Madison, lighting up a cigarette.

"Go to hell, you stupid hag," Madison told her and turned to walk away. She didn't get far. Melanie watched as Fiona raised the hand holding the cigarette and sent the disrespectful brat flying into the wall.

"Say that," Queenie said with a grin. It was about time someone did that.

"But what you did with the wheel, now that was a neat little trick," Fiona said, turning her attention to Melanie. That was harder than it looked. She had kept the flames contained just enough to pop the tire without drawing too much attention to what she was doing. This one was clearly the smarter of the two. Things would have ended a lot differently if the mouthy one hadn't stepped in. "Now, I've read all your files," she continued, addressing everyone in the room now. "And you're never going to become great women of our clan sitting around here at Hogwarts under the confused instruction of my daughter. We're going on a field trip." She extinguished her cigarette on one of the clean plates and moved to leave the room, pausing when she saw Queenie's bright orange shirt. "Jesus. Go change your clothes. Wear something… black," she ordered them.

Once they had all changed, Fiona took them out. Melanie had decided to put on a black dress with flared quarter-length sleeves and a lace-up V-neck , black sandals, and black sunhat.

"Where are we going? It's too hot," Madison complained as they followed the older witch through the French Quarter. "My freaking vagina is sweating."

"To Popp Fountain," Fiona replied. "A kind of holy place for our order. Back in the 1970s, Mary Oneida Toups led an alternative coven down here. She and her sister witches would gather there, proudly and publicly, very much in the spirit of the times. But it was damaged during Katrina. And the authorities used this as an excuse to declare this sacred space a safety hazard. It's been closed off ever since."

"I don't understand. What are we supposed to do if we can't get in?" Zoe asked.

"Tear the wall down," Fiona said. "When witches don't fight, we burn." It was a nice speech. Too bad Melanie happened to know for a fact that her information was outdated. Popp Fountain had actually been reopened to the public already. They had even added a beautiful hall near it for wedding receptions. She saw it in person during an outing with Cordelia, when she treated her to a day of fun exploring the park as a reward for learning to control her powers enough to be out in public. But Fiona would discover that for herself in a little while. Melanie simply didn't think it was worth the trouble arguing with her about it.

"This is seriously the worst field trip ever," Madison grumbled.

"Each one of you has a unique gift," Fiona continued, "but that's not nearly enough to be a real witch."

"And you're a real witch?" Madison asked skeptically.

 _Of course she is,_ Melanie thought.

"She's the Supreme," Nan said aloud.

Fiona laughed. "You know that one—she's smarter than all of you put together."

Melanie stopped when she noticed Nan had fallen behind. "Nan?" she called when she looked back and saw her crossing the street. "Hey, guys. We're losing Nan. She went in there," she told the others, pointing to the ancient house that their fellow witch had just entered, crossing the street after a quick look, to make sure no cars were coming, to go after her without waiting to hear their response. Madison groaned in annoyance as they all stopped and turned to look. Fiona gazed up at the house. Interesting choice.

Melanie slipped into the house and found Nan. "Hey, Nan. What's going on?"

"I heard something," Nan replied, looking around. Melanie raised an eyebrow. That didn't give much away. Nan was always hearing stuff.

"If you're going to stay for the tour, you'll have to pay," a plump woman, who was obviously a tour guide, said. Melanie exchanged a glance with Nan and let out a sigh as she pulled out her wallet. This better be worth it. They followed the rest of the group that had gathered inside down the hall to the parlor room when the tour began.

"The New Orleans Preservation Foundation is proud to present the haunted home tour of the Notorious Madame LaLaurie. This very house, the center of New Orleans high society, was also a place of abject horror," the tour guide explained. Madame LaLaurie. Melanie had heard of her before. She was featured as an antagonist in one of the Benjamin January books she read, a detective series which focused on a protagonist who was a free man of color living in New Orleans during the 1830s. In the story, LaLaurie had held the hero captive temporarily before his police friend arrived to help get him out. Melanie turned her attention to the portrait of the woman in question. Madame LaLaurie had been a heavy woman with a stern face. She noticed Nan was also gazing at it, but with a greater intensity. Almost as if transfixed.

It was in that moment the others finally caught up to them. They spotted the two witches by peering out from the hall. "You want me to get them?" Zoe asked.

"No," Fiona said, stepping into the room to join them. For a moment, Melanie thought they might be in trouble, but the Supreme seemed more interested in the room than in them.

"Oh, excuse me. You can't just barge in on the tour without purchasing a ticket," The tour guide told her.

Fiona turned and made direct eye contact with the woman. "You're giving us a tour for free."

"For free. Of course," the tour guide immediately conceded with a smile. Melanie raised an eyebrow. Talk about Jedi mind tricks. That woman wouldn't even give her and Nan a student discount. Fiona must have used Concilium on her. "The Code Noir," the tour guide continued without missing a beat as the others joined them, "a decree that dictated the conditions of slavery, did not exist on these grounds. It was replaced by the Madame's own code of terror. And the torture she inflicted on her slaves would spawn 179 years of hauntings."

"Wasn't this house owned by the guy in Face/Off?" one of the tourists asked as they moved to the next room.

"Correct, the actor Nicholas Cage was a previous owner," the tour guide said, stopping outside the bedroom. Fiona strolled right on in. "Madame LaLaurie was infamous for her vanity. She fought the rigors of age with a sacrament of expensive creams from Europe and something else far more exotic. The secret ingredient to the Madame's beauty ritual was a poultice made from human pancreas." They moved on to the attic. "This is the infamous chamber of horrors," the guide announced. "No flash photography, please. The attic where Madame LaLaurie inflicted heinous torture upon her slaves."

Melanie noticed the look of unease on Queenie's face as they took in all the various instruments of torture lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling. "You okay?"

"No," Queenie said, angry just thinking about all the terrible pain that must have been inflicted on the slaves who lived there.

"And where she ultimately met her own demise," the guide continued. Queenie and Melanie hoped what LaLaurie got was as bad as what she gave. They listened intently while tour guide recounted how Madame LaLaurie was approached one day my Marie Laveau, New Orleans' own queen of voodoo. She tricked LaLaurie into drinking a vial of something she claimed was a love potion. But it was actually poison. The cruel slave owner died writhing in pain on the floor of her own bedroom. "Unbeknownst to Madame LaLaurie, a slave she had brutally mutilated was Marie Laveau's lover, and she came to exact her revenge. The potion inflicted its cruel justice, and she got what she richly deserved. But her body was never found. To this day, no one knows the final resting place of Madame LaLaurie," she concluded.

Having another look around, Melanie realized Nan was missing. She must have wandered off again. Fiona was looking out one of the attic windows. Melanie quietly approached her and saw that she had been staring down at Nan, who was sitting on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard. "Should I go get her?"

"No," Fiona said. "I'll get her. You stay here with the others." So Melanie continued the tour with the rest of her fellow witches while Fiona went to have a word with Nan. Just as they were getting ready to leave, Melanie realized someone else had gone missing.

"Great, now Zoe's gone, too," she muttered.

"She'll find her way back," Fiona said carelessly as she rejoined them with Nan in tow. "Come on, field trip's over." Her luggage should be arriving at the school any minute now.

"It's the second door on your left down the hall," Fiona instructed the two men who had come to deliver her trunks. "Make sure you stack them vertically."

Cordelia crossed her arms, upset. "I'm responsible for those girls. What if something had happened?" She was especially concerned after last night's incident with the bus.

"Well, nothing did," Fiona told her.

"Where's Zoe Benson?" Cordelia asked pointedly.

"How would I know that?" Fiona said defensively. They heard a horn honk outside. "Oh, that's my taxi. Here, darling." She handed Cordelia a wad of cash from her wallet to give to the two men upstairs. "Make sure you tip them generously when they're done."

"Where are you going?" Cordelia asked. She just got back.

"Out," Fiona said. "Don't wait up."

"I have half a mind to enchant the locks after you leave," Cordelia told her.

Fiona laughed. "Don't make me drop a house on you."

Melanie was reading on her bed with Nox curled up beside her, when she realized she could hear sounds coming from Madison and Zoe's room. She looked up from her book and saw that Queenie had left without her noticing. That happened sometimes while she was reading. The rest of the world just fell away. That was probably why she liked it so much. Books were like a portable magic. They could take you anywhere you wanted when you had nowhere else to go. But one thing she couldn't ignore was the soft sobbing coming from across the hall, just barely audible above the sound of the running shower. Especially not after what happened last night. Zoe was out, so it could only be one person. Melanie shut her book and left it on the bed with Nox. She grabbed a small jar of homemade healing balm and headed for the room across the hall. She didn't bother knocking on the first door. She did knock on the bathroom door.

"G-Go away!" Madison shouted, unable to keep her voice from breaking.

But Melanie didn't go away. Instead she opened the door and stepped inside the steamy bathroom. She set the jar in her hand down on the shelf above the sink. "This will help with the bruises."

"I don't need your pity!" Madison snapped from behind the cover of the shower curtain, angry and embarrassed that she had been caught feeling so vulnerable. She didn't want anyone to know.

"This isn't pity. It's sympathy," Melanie corrected her. She knew what Madison was going through. Better than anyone. She wouldn't wish it on her worse enemy.

"Like there's a difference."

"There is," Melanie said calmly. "And there's nothing wrong with crying. It's a natural response to pain."

Madison was silent for a moment before peeking out at her from behind the shower curtain. "You… I can't believe you're actually being nice to me."

Melanie gave her a little half smile. "Don't get used to it." She didn't think she had said anything particularly funny, but it earned a small laugh from Madison.

No nightmares this time. Since her alarm clock was broken, Melanie didn't wake the next morning until she heard Cordelia's knock at the door.

"Rise and shine, ladies," she called out, continuing down the line. "It's time for Morning Gathering." Melanie and Queenie tore themselves from their beds to get ready for the day. After her usual morning ritual of washing her face, brushing her teeth and hair, and slipping a few simple rings with a minimal design on her fingers, Melanie decided to wear a plain black fitted t-shirt, vintage black denim shorts that had a large daisy pattern and a high waist, and her white converses. She also put on a dainty gold triangle necklace that had an 'M' engraved on it. It had been a birthday present from Cordelia. Melanie liked it because before coming here, she had never owned anything with her own initials on it before. But since she was an orphan, the coven gave her a reasonable allowance to buy a few things for herself that the school might not necessarily provide, like clothes and other personal items. Most of her money went towards books, though, so Melanie preferred to save money by buying most of her clothes at Good Will and thrift stores. You'd be amazed at what you could find if you knew where to look. Melanie paused when she thought she heard a faint scream from down the hall.

"You hear that?" she asked Queenie.

"Hear what?" Queenie asked, turning the water off. She had been too busy washing her face to notice. Melanie shrugged. Maybe she misheard.

They finished breakfast and gathered around the coffee table again for the gathering, but Fiona still hadn't shown her face yet.

Cordelia was getting impatient. She knew her mother was awake because she had knocked on her door and told her that she would be expected to come to the meeting. "Fiona! We're starting!" she called up. "Why don't you start us off, Queenie?"

"Alright," Queenie said, launching into her own backstory about how she came to the school. It started a year ago, back in 2012, in Detroit. She was working at Chubbie's Chicken Shack and some pencil dick was giving her trouble over a box of chicken. It had been a long day, and she was sick of dealing with costumers who thought they were smarter than her just because she worked in a fast food restaurant. And this one kept insisting she had shorted him a piece of chicken, when she knew for a fact that she hadn't, because she had packed that box herself. She wasn't born yesterday. She knew he ate that piece himself and was trying to get a freebie. The last straw was when he said that he wanted to speak to the manager and called her a stupid fat ass. Furious, she told him that she was the manager and plunged her hand into the boiling vat of oil they used to fry the chicken. The asshole started screaming when third degree burns formed on his hand and forearm.

"Did they send you to jail?" Nan asked.

"No. There were lots of witnesses, and none of them had actually seen me 'throw' the oil," she explained. "But it made the local newspaper, and that's how Miss Cordelia found me."

"You didn't want to join us at first," Cordelia said.

"I grew up on white girl shit like Charmed and Sabrina the Teenage Cracker. I didn't know that there even were black witches," Queenie said. "But as it turns out, I'm an heir to Tituba. She was a house slave in Salem. She was the first to be accused of witchcraft. So, technically, I'm part of your tribe."

"Is this where we all sing 'Kum-Bah-Yah'?" Madison asked sassily.

"Bitch, I will eat you!" Queenie snapped as she jumped to her feet, ready to rip her a new one.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Cordelia said, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her before it came to blows. "You guys have got to start taking care of each other. We have enough enemies on the outside." At that moment, Spalding escorted two men into the room. Melanie knew who they were right away from their demeanor. Cops.

"Detective Sanchez, NOPD Homicide," the older of the two men introduced himself, holding open his jacket to flash them his badge. "And my partner, Detective Stiles."

"What's this about?" Fiona asked.

"We'd like to have a word with three of your girls." Detective Sanchez answered. He was there for Melanie, Madison and Zoe. The latter two exchanged a nervous glance, while Melanie kept her eyes on the detectives and her pokerface firmly in place. They took the conversation to Cordelia's office. Madison and Zoe sat in the chairs in front of Cordelia's desk. Melanie chose to remain standing.

"When a movie star like you shows up at a sorority house, people are gonna pay attention to where you go and who with," Sanchez told Madison. "Lot of people saw you go into a back room with some of the guys on the bus."

"What does that have to do with the bus flipping?" Zoe asked. Madison and Melanie glanced sideways at her.

"These are teenaged girls," Cordelia reminded him. "How could they possibly do that? This all seems so silly."

"I'm just looking for someone who had a motive to hurt those guys, who could've screwed with the breaks or the steering column," the detective said. "Maybe whatever happened in that room was upsetting."

"Well, you can keep looking," Melanie told him. "We barely even know how to change a tire."

"I always call AAA for that," Madison said in agreement.

"Shouldn't we have a lawyer here? Or something?" Zoe asked.

"Where just talking," the detective said, though from the tone of his voice he was clearly looking to pin something on them. "Did you know any of those boys? Had you met them before?"

"No," Madison said, shaking her head. "We barely spoke to them that night. They took me in the back room to try to get me high, but I said no."

"She's sober," Zoe said.

"Except vodka," Madison added.

"That isn't funny," Melanie told her. Saying something like that in front of a cop who was already looking for a reason to take them in was just plain stupid.

"Uh, Madison has a wicked sense of humor. But, in fact, she's come a long way with her addiction issues. We're very proud of her," Cordelia explained in an attempt to diffuse the tension.

"Can I ask you why you visited one of the survivors in the hospital?" Sanchez asked Zoe, switching targets. His silent partner moved to show her a picture captured by security cameras of her walking through the hospital. Madison's head snapped to the side to stare at her in surprise. She _what_? Melanie grit her teeth. She had suspected that might have been where she disappeared to the other day since she had been so worried about the boy who tried to help them, but that was a rookie move.

"Um… I felt bad for him," Zoe said, trying to appear calmer than she felt. "We-we just met him the night before. He seemed nice."

"He died right after you left," Sanchez told her. Cordelia closed her eyes and Melanie mentally smacked her forehead. It was pretty obvious to them what must have happened. Zoe clearly did something to him. "The doctors can't quite figure out how, but when we checked you out, we noticed that another boy you knew died in the exact same way right before you got here. A boy named Charles Taylor." That was too much for Zoe. Her eyes welled up with tears and a sob escaped her lips.

"They gang-raped Madison! They got what they deserved!" Zoe cried. Madison and Melanie stared at her with wide eyes. Cordelia glanced worriedly between the girls and the cops.

"Zoe, calm down," Melanie said, but she was too upset to listen.

"How did you flip the bus? Was it the wheels?" Sanchez pressed. "It was the wheels," he answered for her. They knew one of them had caught fire just before the flip.

"I have no idea what she's talking about. I… nobody raped me," Madison said quickly, shooting Zoe a sharp look for ratting them out. "She's clearly lost her mind."

"Madison did it. She can move things with her mind," Zoe yelled, standing up. "And I killed that asshole in the hospital. Me and Melanie have powers, too. We're witches."

"I'm sorry, Detective," Cordelia said, also standing. "Zoe has clearly suffered some kind of mental break." She gave the girl a look to tell her to shut up before she spilled any more secrets.

"Losing her boyfriend was very traumatizing for her. You shouldn't have brought it up," Melanie told the cops, trying to get Zoe to sit back down in her chair. "As you can see, she isn't exactly stable. She doesn't know what she's saying."

"No! No, enough lying. It's over!" Zoe said, shaking her off. "Everyone here is a witch. I'm so sorry. Please don't put us in jail," she pleaded.

"Nobody's going to jail." Fiona said, stepping into the room. "Girls. Will you leave us, please?"

"Come on," Melanie said, leading Zoe and Madison out the room. Hopefully Fiona and Cordelia would be able to sort this out without anyone dying or going to jail. They retreated to Madison and Zoe's room.

"Do you think Fiona can fix it?" Zoe asked nervously, pacing the room.

"You're such a goddamn idiot," Madison sneered. "I can't believe you told them everything. I'm supposed to be cleaning up my act. When this gets out, I'm screwed."

"Your image is the least of our worries right now," Melanie said.

"Who cares? This is murder. Like, multiple murders," Zoe reminded them.

"Zoe, we're not the only ones who'll be in trouble if it gets out that we're witches. You just put everyone else in danger, too!" Melanie said, upset. Sure, murder was bad, and not all of them may have deserved it, but use some common sense. "Their evidence was purely circumstantial."

"They're not gonna find any evidence that we messed with the bus because we didn't mess with the bus!" Madison shouted at Zoe in agreement. "What did you do to that shit-dick in the hospital, though?" Before Zoe could answer, the door to the room opened to reveal a very pissed off Fiona.

"Idiots," Fiona hissed at them and threw one of her arms in the air, sending all three of them flying into the walls at once. Melanie winced as she landed on the hard floor with a thud. "Have you any idea what's going on out there?" she asked them. She pointed a finger at Madison. "Now, I forgave your ham-handed mass murder business with the bus—over exuberance of youth and all that—" she turned her head to glare at Zoe, "but if you haven't got the goddamn brains to know that when strangers come asking questions, we close ranks, then I fear our line is truly at an end."

"But they knew so much already," Zoe said.

"I couldn't toast a piece of bread with the heat they were putting on you," Fiona told her, closing the gap between them. "You are soft. You're emotional. You care what people think." She took a step back and started heading for the door. "Now, if there's one thing you learn before leaving this place, it's that we, even the _weakest_ among us," she said, pointing directly at Zoe, "are better than the rest of them."

"Are we gonna get arrested?" Zoe asked.

"You are missing the point," Fiona told her.

"Which is?" Madison asked.

"The point is," Fiona said, "in this whole wide wicked world, the only thing you have to be afraid of… is me." She paused and fixed them all with stern glare before walking out.

"Guess that's a 'no'," Melanie said after a moment of silence. With that out of the way, she went back to her room to finish her book.

It didn't take long for Cordelia to come knocking on her door. "Are you all right?" she asked, opening the door to speak with her.

"I think so," Melanie said. She was sorry about Kyle, but she wouldn't cry over the others. "Are you?"

"I'm worried about you," Cordelia said, taking a seat on the foot of her bed. "It isn't like you be involved in something like this."

"What Zoe said about them raping Madison was true. I was just trying to ruin the tires so they wouldn't be able to get away. I didn't expect Madison to flip the whole bus like that," Melanie explained. She paused for a beat and glanced at the calendar on the wall. "Don't you have a doctor's appointment today?"

"I do," Cordelia said, not surprised that she had remembered. Sometimes Melanie seemed to know her schedule better than she did. "I'll be out with Hank for most of the afternoon. How about you and I fix up some fried chicken for lunch before I go?" she suggested with a smile.

"Alright," Melanie agreed with a small smile. She had never really cared for Hank, probably because she knew when she was being lied to, but he made Cordelia happy. Melanie hoped she got what she wanted. Cordelia would make a good mom.

Melanie, Queenie, and Nan were halfway through lunch, and Zoe and Madison still hadn't joined them. Fiona had at least made a brief appearance to load up a large plate of chicken before retreating to her own room. Melanie wondered what was taking them so long. Were they still sulking about earlier?

"They went out," Nan said, reading her thoughts.

Melanie blinked. "Out? Out where?"

Nan shrugged and picked up another chicken leg. "I dunno." Melanie frowned. Zoe and Madison together? That couldn't be good.

It got worse when Cordelia and Hank returned from the doctor's. Melanie found her rummaging about in the study, flipping through her catalogue of spells. "How'd it go?" Melanie asked.

Cordelia looked up and gave her a weak smile. "Not good. We're going to have to try… alternative methods."

"Like in vitro?" Melanie asked.

"Maybe," Cordelia said, continuing to dig through her files.

"You're going to do a spell, aren't you?" Melanie asked, crossing her arms.

"Yes," Cordelia replied quietly.

Melanie was concerned. Magic that dealt with life and death was pretty heavy. It leaned more heavily towards the dark and always carried a risk. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Cordelia said resolutely.

"Okay. Good luck," Melanie said, turning to leave.

"Melanie?" Cordelia said, stopping her. "I think one of my spells is missing."

"Which one?" Melanie asked.

"It's a resurrection spell," Cordelia replied. "The one that invokes Azazel."

 _Shit,_ Melanie thought. She had a bad feeling about this. The missing spell, plus Madison and Zoe's disappearance, definitely equaled trouble. "I'm sure it'll turn up," she said calmly. "I'll find it. You go ahead."

"Thanks, Melanie," Cordelia said, grabbing the fertility spell that she had been looking for. She paused in the doorway to smile and Melanie and stroked her hair. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Melanie smiled back and watched her leave. Then she quickly pulled out her phone and called Madison.

"Hey, bitch," she answered.

"Where are you?" Melanie asked.

"Driving," Madison answered.

"Is Zoe with you?"

"No. I left her back at the morgue. I had to split when security showed up."

Melanie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Did you take classes to learn how to be such a bitch, or is it a natural talent?"

"I was born this way," Madison retorted. "Get over it." Melanie could hear the eye roll in her voice.

"One of Cordelia's spells is missing. Was that you?"

"Yeah, so? We tried using it to revive Zoe's boy candy, but it didn't work."

Melanie was starting to get a headache. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Because you would have tried to stop us."

"Well, yeah," Melanie said, annoyed. "There are some things you just shouldn't mess with—like that spell. Cordelia only keeps that one for research purposes. It's an example of what _not_ to do. People who are revived with that spell never come back right." It was probably a good thing they couldn't get it to work.

"Well, nothing happened," Madison said, "So you can save the lecture."

"Just put it back where you found it the moment you get back," Melanie said sternly. "And give me Zoe's number."

Madison sighed in annoyance. "Fine." Melanie listened carefully while she said Zoe's cell phone number and then quickly hung up so she could call her and make sure she was all right.

"H-Hello?" Zoe sobbed into the phone.

"Zoe? Are you all right?" Melanie asked, frowning when she heard how scared she sounded.

"Oh, Melanie! Thank God," Zoe said, sounding anxious but relieved. Melanie could hear some kind of grunting noise in the background. "We—Madison and I—we brought Kyle back, and he killed someone. I think Madison left us."

"The spell worked?" Melanie asked.

"Yes. What should I do?"

 _Shit._ Her frown deepened. "Okay, stay there. You're in the morgue, right? Find some gloves and start wiping off everything you touched. I'll be there soon."

"Please hurry," Zoe said anxiously as she hung up.

Melanie got to the morgue as quickly as she could without a car. Zoe was so relieved to see her that she started crying again. A man wearing a navy blue jacket that said "CORONER" on it in yellow letters was lying dead on the floor. It was obvious that he had been beaten to death. The culprit, Kyle, was huddled up in a corner, naked from the waist up and covered in the other man's blood. It looked like Zoe had already started attempting to wipe some of it off of him. The candles, salt, and other remnants from the spell's ritual were still spread out on an autopsy table. "Alright," Melanie said, forming a plan as she scanned the room. "We need to clean this up. They'll know someone was here—that's unavoidable—but we should at least try to get rid any evidence that could lead back to us. And we definitely can't leave _him_ here," she concluded, squatting down in front off Kyle to get a better look at him. She frowned when she saw the mismatched body parts and how they had stitched them together so roughly. "This is terrible." He looked like one of Frankenstein's monsters. Kyle moved his head slightly to the side and his eyes rolled up to look at her. They looked dull, almost vacant compared to the night they'd met him. Melanie wondered how much of him was still in there.

"W-We did the best we could," Zoe said.

"Whatever, we'll come back to that later," Melanie said, standing up slowly so she wouldn't startle him. "Let's finish cleaning up first." She put on a pair of gloves before touching anything. Then she and Zoe took care of the autopsy table and gathered up everything they'd left on it in a plastic medical waste bag. Then they wiped it down with some cleaning fluid they found in a closet. Next, they finished wiping the blood off Kyle. He seemed to prefer Zoe's touch, so Melanie decided to leave that to her and started stripping the dead coroner of his shirt, jacket, and shoes so they could put them on Kyle. He couldn't just walk around half naked, or he would stick out like a sore thumb. After they somehow managed to wrestle Kyle into the clothes without getting maimed or injured, they girls turned their attention back to the dead body. It was too heavy for them to lift on their own, even working together, and Kyle, who could barely stand, was in no condition to help them.

"We'll have to leave him here," Melanie said. Zoe felt bad about it, but there wasn't much else they could do. Melanie doused the body in cleaning fluid while Zoe helped Kyle outside. They couldn't take Kyle on the bus, so they would have to take the dead man's car. Melanie finished up and stepped outside just as she heard a couple of groans and a loud thud. She looked down to see Kyle lying on the ground at the bottom of the stairs next to a very flustered Zoe. Melanie sighed. That boy was a mess. "Come on," she said, moving down the steps quickly to help Zoe get him back on his feet. They used the keys they found in the jacket's pocket to unlock the car. Melanie opened the rear door on the driver's side. "Let's put him in the back…" she started to suggest, stopping short when she saw that it was already occupied. The blonde girl in the back blinked and stared up at her. There was something kind of familiar about her, but Melanie couldn't quite put her finger on why. "Hello."

"Hi," the strange girl returned her awkward greeting. "Well, don't just stand there. Are you getting in the car, or not?" Zoe and Madison exchanged a glance. They had no clue who this girl was, but they couldn't stay here.

There was a heavy silence inside the stolen car. Zoe was driving with Kyle next to her in the passenger seat, and Melanie was in the back with the mysterious stranger. Melanie wanted to ask who she was, but then she would probably want to know their names, too. It was probably better not to talk too much until they had a better understanding of who they were dealing with. Unfortunately, this didn't occur to Zoe. When Kyle started moaning like kicked puppy, she couldn't help herself.

"Kyle? Kyle! Kyle!" Zoe said, trying to get his attention. He was totally out of it. "I know… I Know you know something's wrong. Maybe this is too hard for anyone to hear, but… Kyle, you died. Can-Can you remember that?"

"Uh, Zoe… maybe this isn't the best time for this," Melanie said, watching him carefully from the backseat to see how he would react. It could be dangerous if something set him off and he lashed out at Zoe while she was driving.

"You know, you were on a bus," Zoe continued anway, "and-and there was an accident. Sort of." Zoe gasped and Melanie tensed when he slammed his hand against the dashboard. "Like, it wasn't you… It wasn't you fault. Okay, none of it was your fault," Zoe said quickly. Kyle rolled his head to the side to look at her. "We tried to put you back together the best we could, and-and… then we brought you back from the other side." Kyle erupted in a fit of deep, guttural yells and started thrashing around in his seat, hitting his head against the window and waving his arms. "No! No, stop!" Zoe cried, worried he was going to hurt himself. "Kyle! No! Kyle!"

Melanie gripped the seat when the car swerved. "Shh! Hey, calm down," she said coolly in an even voice, trying to stop them from panicking. "Both of you, just calm down." Zoe sobbed and took a deep breath, relieved when Kyle actually stopped for a moment.

"Look, okay, may… maybe it would have been better for you to stay dead. I don't know," Zoe told him. "But I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't try."

"I forgive you," the girl sitting next to Melanie said. "Even though you drew me out here. Turn around. Make a right. That'll take us to my swamp."

"Swamp?" Zoe said, exchanging a glance with Melanie in the rearview mirror. Melanie nodded in approval. A swamp might actually be just what they need right now. It would be isolated, empty of any witness who might recognize them. And this girl seemed willing to help them for some reason. What else did they have to lose at this point?

It was dawn by the time they reached the helpful stranger's cabin in the swamp. "Do you really think that's going to work?" Zoe asked as they watched her smear some stinky green paste all over Kyle's stitches.

"I know it will," their good Samaritan replied. "This stuff is the shit… literally. Louisiana swamp is full of Spanish moss and alligator dung, which have amazing healing properties. Mother Nature has an answer for everything. Healed me when I was burned alive."

Melanie suddenly realized why she seemed so familiar. She had seen her face on TV. "You're Misty Day." She must have somehow used her power of resurgence to save herself.

Zoe glanced at her and looked back at the healthy girl in front of them. "You're the witch Cordelia told us about. Everyone thinks you're dead," Zoe said, eyes widening slightly with realization, "but of course, you're not. You have the power of resurgence."

"The power of resurgence," Misty said, looking up at them. She smiled. "I like the sound of that." She stirred the mud in her bucket and smiled at them again. "We have so much to teach each other, Zoe, Melanie."

"Maybe we do," Zoe said.

"I always knew there were others like me," Misty said, "but I had no idea where to find you. And then today, I was meditating in the woods when my heart started racing, and my teeth started vibrating." She set the bucket down and stepped towards them. "Something was calling to me. I had no idea what it was, but… I knew I had to follow. And it was you two. Your magic called me there."

"It was mostly Zoe. I just helped with the cleanup," Melanie clarified.

"But she is a witch, too," Zoe added.

"Whoever it was, I'm so grateful," Misty said, moving past them with a big grin on her face to sit down on her bed. "Now I'm not alone." Melanie could appreciate that feeling. She had felt so alienated before the coven found her. She and Zoe glanced back at Kyle when he made a gasping noise. He was still holding his head at an odd angle, and he was hunched up like he was cold or scared. Carefully, Melanie took his borrowed jacket off the chair behind her and slowly draped it over his shoulders. A slight tremor ran through his body, and Kyle blinked and looked at her. He looked dazed and confused, as if he was trying to figure her out. The feeling was mutual. Melanie still didn't quite know what to make of him. She had barely even spoken to him that night he tried to help them, and then his life had been cut short by their witchcraft, only to be brought back again by it. He must be terrified. Any sane person would be. She looked up when she realized Misty was quietly singing along to the song that had been playing in the background on her radio. _Rhiannon_ by Stevie Nicks.

"She rings like a bell through the night, and wouldn't you love to love her?" Misty sang, turning the volume up a little. "She rules her life like a bird in flight, and who will be her lover?"

"Who sings this?" Zoe asked.

Misty stopped singing and stared at her like she had just grown a second head. "Who sings this? Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks is my hero," she explained, glowing with excitement.

"That's Stevie Nicks from American Idol?" Zoe asked, noticing a vintage poster of Stevie on the wall. Sometimes Melanie really worried about her generation. Deprived as she might have been through her early childhood, she at least knew who Fleetwood Mac was.

"Yes," Melanie answered with a straight face, "but she's famous for a lot more than that."

Misty gave her a smile before turning back to Zoe. "It's Stevie Nicks. The White Witch. The only witch before you I've ever known," she explained.

"She's an actual witch?" Zoe asked. Melanie nodded. She was impressed Misty had been able to figure that out on her own. Melanie had heard the song many times on the radio, but she had no idea that Stevie was a witch, too. Not until Cordelia told her.

"Listen to the lyrics," Misty said, having them sit down with her. Zoe watched as Misty and Melanie closed their eyes, focusing on the music. Melanie had loved this song ever since she was a small child. Listening to it had always been strangely comforting. It helped her feel like she wasn't alone. Like someone else out there actually understood her. It wasn't until later in life that she learned why. "This song was her anthem," Misty explained. "Doesn't it just… penetrate your soul and tell the truth about anything you ever felt in your whole life?"

Zoe noticed the small, peaceful smile that had formed on Melanie's soft lips while she kept listening with her eyes closed. It was the most beautiful and serene expression that she had ever seen on the other girls' face. "Yeah. Totally," she said with a smile of her own. But seeing the time on Melanie's watch, Zoe knew that it was time to go. "We really should be going," she said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Melanie opened her eyes and realized she was right. They couldn't stay here forever. Cordelia would be worried.

"Going? What do you mean?" Misty asked as they both stood up.

"Our school is probably wondering where we are," Melanie said. Misty blinked, trying not to look too upset, as the other two witches turned away from her to look at Kyle.

"We just have to figure out where to take him," Zoe added, looking to Melanie for help. Melanie frowned slightly as she began considering their options. Abandoning him was out of the question. They did this to him. He was their responsibility. But she didn't know where else they could bring him aside from the school—he wasn't in any condition to look after himself at the moment, and anyone who knew him would freak out if the dead boy suddenly showed up alive—She knew Cordelia would definitely be angry and probably punish them, but would ultimately try to help them as best as she could in the end. The problem was Fiona. Melanie was worried about what she might do to them—and Kyle—if she found out about him.

In the seconds it took for all of this to run through her mind, Misty stepped forward. "He can stay here with me," she said quickly. "I'll heal him. And then, when you come back, he'll be good as new." Melanie experienced a feeling of immense relief upon hearing that. The swamp was probably the best place for him right now. No one would think to look for him there, and there was no one else around for him to hurt. Except Misty, but she was obviously more than capable of taking care of herself. Kyle stared grunting softly, and the jacket covering him fell to the floor as he reached out for them. Melanie felt sad as she watched him and Zoe walked over to let him lean against her to comfort him. He sounded scared. Zoe's eyebrows knitted together in worry. It was hard to see him like that. Misty watched the three of them while Kyle's dark, frightened eyes flitted between the two younger girls. "Hey, you'll come back, right?" she asked. Zoe was silent.

Melanie clenched her fists slightly, steeling her resolve. "Yeah," she said. "We'll be back, definitely. Just be careful. He doesn't seem to know his own strength."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Replacements**

* * *

They parked the stolen car a few blocks away from the school and walked the rest of the way back. Hopefully they would be able to sneak into their beds without everyone realizing that they had been gone the entire night. It was quiet.

Zoe glanced sideways at Melanie, who appeared to be lost deep in her thoughts. She suddenly realized that she had forgotten something important. "I never thanked you for helping me."

Melanie blinked and glanced at her briefly before looking straight ahead again. "We're witches. It's what we do."

"Madison didn't," Zoe said. "She left me."

"Madison's a bitch," Melanie stated matter-of-factly. There was no getting around that. Zoe smiled slightly, but the corners of her mouth fell with Melanie's next words. "What are we gonna do about him?"

"Kyle?" Zoe asked, scrunching her brow slightly. "Didn't we already decide to leave him with Misty?"

"That's only a temporary solution," Melanie said, frowning. "We need to start thinking of something more long-term. His biggest problem, aside from how poorly he was put together and the fact that he should be dead, is his lack of control. I'll try to see if there's something in Cordelia's stash that can help get his head straight again. If he can function normally, he might have a shot at a real life."

"What if she catches you?" Zoe asked.

Melanie shrugged. "She lets me borrow her spell books from time to time for studying purposes. So, even if she sees me going through them she won't be suspicious."

Zoe was really glad that she had Melanie on her side. She didn't know how she would have gotten through all of this without her. She probably would have managed somehow, but it was reassuring to have such a dependable ally. She frowned slightly though as she thought more about Kyle. Melanie was right. Kyle couldn't live a normal life the way he was. She and Madison may have brought him back from the dead, but he wasn't the same boy they had met that night. He just wasn't himself anymore. She wondered if it was because he was having trouble sorting out his memories. "Do you think it would help if we took him back to his family?" she asked. "It might help him recover faster." Melanie looked at her and furrowed her brow a little.

"Maybe," she said. But there was a possibility they might not accept him the way he was now. "It depends on how well Misty can heal him. If we're going to return him to his family, we'll need to find out more about them. See whether or not they'll be able to handle it."

Fortunately, Cordelia had been too consumed with her fertility ritual with Hank to notice how extended their absence was. And if Fiona had, she didn't care enough to mention it. So Melanie spent most of the morning searching for the spell, until Zoe tracked down and called Kyle's mother, Alicia Spencer. She wanted to see her. Partly to prepare her for Kyle's return, as Melanie had suggested, and partly to try to alleviate her own guilt for everything that had happened to him since they met him. Zoe was nervous about meeting her, so she was glad when Melanie asked if she wanted her to come too. And that was how the two girls found themselves down in the Ninth Ward, sitting on a sofa in the house Kyle grew up in, while they watched his bereaved mother cut up some hash on the kitchen table and load it into a small glass bong. Since she wasn't good with sensitive stuff like this, Melanie had decided to let Zoe do most of the talking.

"So what made you come to see me?" his mother asked. "No one else has bothered."

"We've been feeling so haunted. It all seemed so unfair, so random," Zoe said earnestly. "You know, a truly decent person like him. We can't even imagine what it must be like for you. Losing your son." The girls watched as his mother lit the bong and inhaled deeply. She coughed and looked up at them. Then she crossed into the living room to join them.

"He had a stash in his room. I've been sleeping in there," she explained, holding out the bong to offer each of the girls a hit.

"No thanks," Melanie said.

"I'm driving," Zoe said.

Kyle's mother sighed and plopped down on the small sofa with them, resulting in Melanie being awkwardly sandwiched between her and Zoe. "They didn't tell me he had a girl," she said, looking past her at Zoe, since she was the one who had made the call.

"It wasn't romantic, Mrs. Spencer," Zoe told her.

"Same here," Melanie said when the older woman looked at her next.

"I see," his mother said. It was hard to tell if she was disappointed or relieved. "Well, you're good friends. That's what matters. God bless him." She let out a heavy sigh. "When his father left, he became the man of this house. He worked part time as an SAT tutor. He did repairs. People said that's a lot of pressure to put on a boy. He was just a… he was a natural gentlemen in his bones." Zoe and Melanie thought back to how he had helped them find Madison, even though he didn't know them and hadn't owed them anything. And the information Zoe had found and shared about his scholarship and how he used to volunteer for the United Way and other charities. Zoe blinked back the tears threatening to form in her eyes, and Melanie bit her lip and picked at the cuticle on her left thumb.

"Yeah," Zoe said softly. "Yeah. He was like that."

"Can I share something with you?" his mother asked. "I don't want to burden you."

"Of course. That's why we came," Zoe said.

She and Melanie listened while Mrs. Spencer told them about her circumstances on the other end of the line when Zoe had called. She had been about to commit suicide. She even had the rope and chair ready and everything. But before she could follow through with it, the phone rang. "I almost didn't answer," she said. "But something told me I should." She smiled and reached across Melanie's lap to touch Zoe's hand. "You were a saint to make that call, you sweet girl."

"I wish I was as sweet as you think." Zoe said sadly, eyes shining with unshed tears. It was her fault Kyle died. She shouldn't have asked for his help. And it was her fault that he was brought back so damaged using a faulty spell. Melanie looked at Zoe. She didn't know what to say, so she placed one of her hands on top of hers. Zoe looked at her and forced her lips into a small, grateful smile.

Kyle's mother sniffed and started crying. "I wish I could hold him again. And kiss him." She sobbed. "If only to say goodbye."

"You'll see him again," Zoe told her. Melanie wasn't entirely sure they should be making that sort of promise yet.

Mrs. Spencer exhaled a shaky breath. "I envy you believers."

"We don't know how it works either," Zoe said, exchanging a glance with Melanie. "But I'm telling you, Mrs. Spencer. Kyle has not left us."

"We have to bring him back to her," Zoe said as they climbed back into the car after leaving the house. This time Melanie was driving.

"We'll see," Melanie said. She shifted the car into drive and pulled out onto the road, heading for Misty's swamp. They needed to know what kind of condition he was in first.

At Misty's cabin in the swamp, Kyle was lying on her bed with her. That's all. They lay there and listened to the soothing, dulcet tones of Stevie Nicks singing her song _Sara_. It was calm, peaceful. It was nice not to have to think about anything. Everything had been so confusing ever since he reopened his eyes after the crash. Kyle closed his eyes as Misty started to sing along. He opened them again when she stopped singing to talk with him.

"Stevie didn't really find her voice until she and Lindsey joined Fleetwood Mac. That's the thing," Misty said. "Can't be your best self until you find your tribe. I'm still looking for mine." They heard someone knock on the frame of the door.

"Misty?" Zoe called out. The swamp witch and Kyle looked up and over to see her and Melanie standing in the open doorway.

"Zoe? Melanie?" Misty said, smiling wide and jumping up off of the bed in her excitement. "Come see," she said, hurrying over to meet them. Kyle stayed where he was, watching the girls from the bed, while Misty led them over to him. They really had come back. Both of them. Zoe and Melanie were a little surprised when Misty hopped up on the bed to straddle Kyle around the waist, but they soon realized her intentions when she swiftly undid all the buttons on his shirt and ripped it open so that they could see the sate of his scars.

"How did you do that?" Zoe asked as she and Melanie stared down at Kyle's freshly healed wounds in awe. They were so much better than before. The change was incredible. The stitches were gone. And those deep, ugly gashes had healed over night to form shallow scars, some of which were so fine, they had to squint a little to make them out.

"It's the humic acid in the mud," Misty said proudly. "Burns, scrapes, bug bites. I put Louisiana mud on anything. "This one's really deep," she added, placing her hands on the scar around Kyle's neck where his head had been attached to his new shoulders. Melanie and Zoe kneeled down next to the bed to have a better look. It was definitely still the worst of them, and it might seem bad to others, but it was a major improvement over how it had looked before. Before, the girls had been half afraid that his head might come off again if he tried moving it too roughly. Now it was sturdily and stably attached to the rest of his body just like any normal human being's. "I tired. That's the best I could do," Misty said. Kyle stared at Melanie and Zoe while they each reached out a hand to feel the scars on his neck and left shoulder for themselves. Their touch was very light and gentle as they traced their soft fingers over the rough new skin. He liked it. It felt nice. He noticed the girl who wasn't Zoe—the one whose hair was so pale that was almost white and shined like soft moonlight, the one who always seemed to be frowning whenever he saw her—was looking at him with a small but genuine smile that reached her eyes, making them shine like two green pools of swamp water glistening in the sun.

"No. You've done more than enough," Melanie reassured Misty. It was better than she had hoped for. They could work with this. "I have a healing balm back home that might be able to finish the job." Misty's smile fell when she heard the word 'home', and she glanced at the two girls. They were going to leave again.

"Kyle… it's Zoe." Zoe said, also giving him a smile. "And Melanie," she added, pointing to her friend. "Do you remember us?" Kyle reached out his left hand and slowly ran it through Zoe's hair. Then he did the same with Melanie's. Melanie didn't really like to be touched, especially not by people she didn't know well, but she did her best not to flinch so he wouldn't get upset. Instead, she subtly pulled her hair out of his reach by tucking it behind her ears. "Misty, we have to take him home," Zoe said. Misty frowned and shook her head. "His mother's a wreck. Maybe seeing her will help heal him in some way," Zoe insisted.

"I healed him," Misty said sharply, starting to cry. "Me. I… I bathed him and… and fed him and nursed him back to health."

"You did. No one's denying that," Melanie said calmly.

"And we owe you big time," Zoe added.

"Well, then s-stay… stay for dinner," Misty said, grabbing their hands and smiling as she glanced between the two girls and Kyle. Zoe and Melanie exchanged a glance. Melanie felt sorry for Misty. She reminded her of herself as a child, back when she was constantly afraid of being abandoned again. But they couldn't stay.

"Another time," Zoe said gently. "We promise." Misty reluctantly gave in and moved so Zoe and Melanie could help Kyle get up from the bed. She thought she would be able to take it, but as Misty watched the three of them head for the door with Kyle propped up between the two girls, she realized how wrong she was. She didn't want to be left. She didn't want to be alone again.

"No. No," Misty said, jumping up and rushing to catch up to them. "No, he's not ready yet." Kyle grunted in surprise and alarm when she grabbed him from behind, wrapping her hands around his chest and waist, pulling him free from the other girls'. "He needs me. We're connected," she said desperately, stepping around to look him in the eyes and cradle his face in her hands. "Kyle, when they abandoned you, I was there. You can't just replace me." She gasped and the others took a step back, startled when Kyle suddenly lashed out at her, smacking her hands away with a roar. He started shuffling towards Zoe and Melanie again. Feeling hurt, but not ready to give up, Misty made another grab for him. Zoe and Melanie didn't think that was such a good idea.

"Let him go," Melanie said holding out a hand to stop Misty while using the other to help guide Kyle into Zoe's arms. "Let him go."

"He wants to go home," Zoe said, rubbing Kyle's back to calm him down as he put one arm around her shoulder while keeping a grip on Melanie's shirt with his other hand. "We'll come back for you," she said as the three of them shuffled a little awkwardly out the door. "We promise."

Misty stood alone in her cabin, blinking back tears as she watched them go. "No, you won't." She cried. She was alone again. Everyone always left. Stevie was the only one she could count on.

Zoe and Melanie tried to put Kyle in the backseat, but he refused to stay back there by himself and either tried to get back out, threw a fit, or followed them to the front of the car as soon as they moved away. Given what had happened the last time they let him ride in the front, they didn't want to put him in the passenger seat again, so Melanie ended up sitting in the back with him while Zoe drove.

"It's all right, Kyle," Zoe said glancing at him in the rearview mirror as they made their way to Ninth Ward. "We're taking you home now."

Melanie turned her head slightly to look at him, too. Her cheeks were heating up. She frowned slightly to hide how uncomfortable she felt. Kyle was leaning against her, laying his head on her shoulder, while he continued to clutch her shirt. She knew he didn't mean any harm, which was why she didn't push him away, but it felt strange to have a boy she barely knew so close to her. She rarely even let Cordelia hug her. Aside from the soft grunting noises Kyle made every now and then, it was a quiet ride. But the closer they got to his house, the more doubts Melanie began to have. "I'm starting to wonder… if this is such a good idea," she said while Kyle played with strands of her hair. Misty may have healed his physical wounds, but he didn't appear to have made much progress mentally. He was like a large child. A large child with enhanced strength who couldn't control his temper.

"What? I thought we agreed on this. He should be with his mother," Zoe said with a frown. "You saw what she was like yesterday. They need each other."

"Yeah. She might be desperate enough to take him back," Melanie said, her own frown deepening, "But how long do you think it'll last when she sees the scars and realizes how different he's become? She might not be able to handle him the way he is now. What if she rejects him?" She was worried what kind of effect that might have on Kyle in his current state. He'd already killed once. Whatever they were going to do, they had better make their decision fast, because they were only a block away from the house.

"Alicia's his mother. She won't reject him. Besides, what else are we gonna do with him?" Zoe asked, getting upset. "He has no where else to go."

Melanie's brow furrowed and she fell silent for a moment. Zoe had a point. Maybe her history of bad foster parents was just making her paranoid. Real parents were supposed to love and protect their children no matter what. "Okay. You're right. We should at least try." Zoe smiled a little, relieved that she had decided to go along with her plan after all. She pulled over and parked the car across the street from Kyle's house. Kyle looked up when the car stopped. His eyes darted around, taking in every detail of the familiar surroundings. Melanie looked down at her shirt, where Kyle was still gripping it. She really hoped Zoe was right about this. For everyone's sake.

Zoe unbuckled and turned around in her seat, placing a hand on his knee to get his attention. "I know this is the right thing, Kyle," she said when he looked at her. "She's the one person in the world that you'll remember. Everything will make sense when you see her." Kyle looked from Zoe to Melanie. He hadn't really been paying attention to where they were going or what they were saying before, but he thought he recognized where he was. He knew this place. It was the house he grew up in. Home. After all the terrifying confusion, there was finally something he knew. So when the girls helped him out of the car, he didn't resist. He stumbled along with them across the street, down the sidewalk, and up the steps to the porch until they reached the front door. They made sure he was steady on his feet. Then Zoe rang the bell, and they let go. Kyle felt himself fall forward as they ran back to the car. His forehead hit the glass on the door with a loud thud, but it didn't hurt. He stared at the reflections on the glass, watching as the images of their retreating backs gave way to the approaching face of a much older woman. His mother. She screamed. His mother screamed when she realized who he was. A sob escaped her mouth as she hurried to open the door.

"Oh! Oh!" his mother cried out with joy, wrapping her arms around him as he fell against her. Zoe and Melanie watched the happy reunion from a distance, peeking out from behind the tree that they had parked under. Alicia Spencer was understandably shocked and obviously thrilled to have her son suddenly returned to her alive and in one piece. But Kyle wasn't happy. His eyes widened when his mother started dragging him inside, and he whipped his head around to look back at the girls. He felt a sudden pang of fear. Did this mean they were leaving him again? No. He didn't want them to go. He didn't want them to leave. Unfortunately, the two witches had no way of knowing this.

"See," Zoe told Melanie after the door shut behind the mother and son, giving her friend a small smile in an attempt to reassure her. "He'll be fine."

 _I hope so,_ Melanie thought, biting her lip. As they climbed back into the car, she paused to spare one final glance back at the house. She still couldn't shake the sense of unease that she had begun to feel. But there was nothing more that they could do for him here. And it was time for them to return home, too. Melanie shut the passenger door behind her, and the two witches returned to the academy, leaving the Spencers behind in their rearview mirror.

Meanwhile, Zoe and Melanie weren't the only ones carrying out a clandestine agenda. Cordelia had made another appointment with her doctor after the fertility spell she tried with Hank failed to produce positive results. "Hank doesn't know I'm here," she told the doctor, sitting across from him in his office. "He's out of town bidding on a construction project. We tried alternative methods, but… they didn't take. So here I am," she explained with a nervous laugh.

"I'm glad you came," the doctor said. "I was actually gonna call you."

"Oh?" Cordelia said.

"Your, uh, blood work came back. Ms. Foxx, we have a problem," he said grimly.

"What kind of problem?" Cordelia asked.

"The kind that rules out you having any sort of elective surgery. Now or for the foreseeable future," he replied.

Cordelia was stunned. No, that couldn't be. She needed this. "I'll find another doctor."

"I can assure you no reputable surgeon is gonna take you on. Your blood work is alarming, and your immune system seems to be in some kind of… free fall," he explained. "You simply can't have a baby."

Cordelia bit her lip and shook her head. She wasn't ready to give up yet. "There's got to be something you can do."

"I know how disappointing this must be," the doctor said sympathetically. "Times like these, I wish I had a magic wand I could wave. But I don't."

Tears formed in Cordelia's eyes as the harsh reality began to sink in. "That's right," she said, biting back a sob. She wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks. "You don't." But she knew someone who did. And she was just desperate enough to pay her a visit.

Kyle was lying down on a bed in a room, staring at the walls. He recognized everything in it. This was his old bedroom. The house. The kitchen. The bathroom. The bedroom. He knew them all so well that even in this state, he could still navigate his way around from one room to the next without too much help. He had even managed to take a shower on his own earlier, though it mostly just consisted of him turning on the faucets and standing under the showerhead while the water ran over him. And he had still needed help getting out of the tub, even though the edge of this one was lower than the one on the metal trough Misty had back at her cabin. It had startled him when his mother suddenly pulled the shower curtain open. In fact, everything seemed to startle him now. After that empty darkness, this world seemed so much brighter and louder and fuller. There was so much to do and look at that it made his head spin. Everything on the outside was so intense that it made the inside feel emptier. Something wasn't right. His body was different. It wasn't his. It wouldn't listen to him. He struggled to complete even the simplest, most familiar tasks. It was frustrating, not being able to do everything on his own. But lying down relaxed him. It was easy. It gave him time to think. Or not think. To just be. The quiet solitude of his room was interrupted by several knocks on the door.

"Are you asleep?" his mother asked as she opened it. When he didn't say anything, she let herself in. Kyle slowly turned his head to look at her when he felt the side of his bed dip from her weight as she sat down beside him. "I can't believe you're really here," she said. Kyle stared at her. Forming words was hard. It felt nearly impossible in his current state. Even if he could, he wouldn't know what to say. "I nearly died from missing you, baby." His mother stared at him for a moment before readjusting her position so that she was lying down next to him. "I was just thinking something. It's keeping me awake. Before, when you went to go take a shower…" Kyle remembered that, the look of surprise on his mother's face when she saw him naked. "You're a different person. Your body. You look like someone else. I don't understand what's happening," she told him. Kyle looked away. That made two of them. "But that-that doesn't matter. Does it?" she said, pressing her body up against his as she put her right arm around him and brought her face closer to his. "You're still my beautiful boy. We're together again." Kyle closed his eyes and felt her lips on his. She kissed him. Deeply, they way she always had ever since his father left. He opened his eyes again when he felt her lips traveling down his chin, then to his neck. She caressed his skin, her touch lingering longer than it should, as she moved her right hand from his side over his chest and abs, dragging it down below the blanket covering his hips. Kyle tensed and his chest tightened painfully as he realized what was happening. What she was about to do. "Let it all go. I'm here now," his mother cooed gently while she touched him in ways that no parent should ever touch their child. Kyle's face twisted with anguish and tears leaked from his eyes as he squeezed them shut. A pained whine escaped his lips. He wanted her to stop. He wanted to tell her 'no'. But he knew that even if he could, it wouldn't matter. She never listened. She never stopped. He had wanted to tell someone ever since he was younger, but he was too afraid. Too ashamed. And all the memories of how she used to be before his father left—all of the good times from when they were a happy, normal family—made it even harder. Whatever else she was, she was still his mother. He didn't want to hurt her. So he tried to do the same thing he's always had to do to get through it. He kept his eyes squeezed shut tight and tried to think of something beautiful, something that made him feel safe—like those two girls from before, Zoe and Melanie—and he prayed for it to be over.

Hip-hop music blared loudly throughout the neighborhood as Cordelia parked and crossed the street to her destination, a hair salon named _Cornrow City_. Stepping into the shop, she could hear the stylists talking amongst themselves. "I said if you want breakfast, you better carry your ass downstairs and make it yourself. Ain't nobody frying no eggs," one woman said, earning a laugh from the others. The atmosphere tensed the moment the white witch entered their line of sight.

Cordelia faced the receptionist and gripped her purse, steeling her nerves. "I'm looking for Marie," she said. "I'm here to consult with her. About a fertility problem."

The receptionist stared up at her for a moment before calling out, "Chinwe, Mambo here?" The man sitting in the chair behind Cordelia stood up and started walking. Cordelia followed him to a back room, where the man pulled out a small wooden stool and placed it on the floor in front of Marie Laveau's throne.

"You want a Coca-Cola?" the voodoo queen offered without looking up from her iPad.

"No, thank you." Cordelia answered politely, seating herself on the stool. "Thank you for seeing me right away. I've heard about you since I was a child." Marie spared her a brief glance before going back to her game. "Full disclosure… I'm from—"

"Darling," Marie interrupted her. "I know who you are."

Cordelia adjusted her glasses, trying to hide how nervous she was. "Okay. So tell me about your fertility spell."

"Oh, don't know nothing about that," Marie said.

"Marie? If you know who I am, then you know I am well aware of the Pochaut Medecine."

"Hmm," Marie said, rubbing her chin as she looked up at her again. "Then you know that spell ain't no picnic for anyone involved." Cordelia glanced over her shoulder when she thought she heard the sound of drums in the courtyard while the voodoo queen explained the ritual. Cordelia thought she could see a vision of herself arriving at night in a red dress and being escorted out into the courtyard by two strong men painted to look like skeletons. "On the day of, you bring us two ounces of your husband's baby gravy in a mason jar." While other members of her magic circle beat the drums and performed a ceremonial dance around a bonfire, Marie would roll the jar into the flames. Then she would use a tool to demonstrate her resolve to cast the spell. "We use a Guinea pepper… hotter than Hades. When the gods see this willingness to suffer… to sacrifice, they pay attention." Enduring the pain, Marie would perform her own special dance while the sperm boiled inside the jar. Cordelia's escorts would carry her over and lay her on the ground before Marie. A goat painted with voodoo symbols would be brought out to them. Cordelia would pull the skirt of her red dress up to expose her flesh-colored underwear, while someone else handed Marie the ceremonial dagger. Then the jar of sperm would explode, and Marie would cut the goat's throat and allow its blood to pour down over Cordelia's womb. "When it's over, I sleep for four days and four nights," Marie concluded as the vision ended with her fainting upon completion of the spell.

"How soon can we do it?" Cordelia asked.

"Got to be a new moon." Marie answered. "And $50,000 in cash up front."

"Jesus," Cordelia breathed.

"We have a 100% success rate," Marie said.

"I'll find it somehow," Cordelia said. "Borrow it, rob a bank. When's the new moon?"

Marie looked at her and started laughing. She shook her head. "Ain't gonna do no Pochaut Medecine on you. Not for $50,000. Not for $100,000. You were born into the wrong tribe. You the daughter of my sworn enemy." She laughed again, as if she took pleasure from her pain.

"Fiona has got nothing to do with me," Cordelia said firmly, fighting to keep her voice from breaking. She was not about to let her mother get in the way of this, too. "She has no idea I came to see you."

"Hmm," Marie said.

"You are my one real shot at this point," Cordelia pleaded with watery eyes.

"Too late for tears," Marie told her. "Damage is done. Waltzing in here like she the Queen of England. Talking about hammer and nails, looking to start a war."

Stunned, Cordelia blinked back her tears. "Fiona was here?"

"She done messed with the wrong witch," Marie said strongly. "And she knows it. And now you know it." A single tear rolled down Cordelia's cheek while she watched the voodoo queen laughed at her again.

The front door of the Robichaux Academy slammed shut behind Zoe and Melanie when they returned. They hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, so they were both starving. The kitchen was going to be their first stop. "You like him," Nan said as they passed through the sitting room, stopping both girls in their tracks. Melanie's heart skipped a beat, and for a crazy moment, she thought Nan might have been talking to her until Zoe turned and said,

"Excuse me?"

Melanie watched as Nan closed her book. "You're thinking about a boy. I can tell," she said. From the way Nan's eyes flicked between her and Zoe, Melanie had a feeling she that was talking about both of them now. It was true that Kyle had been on her mind a lot, what with having to cover up evidence of his resurrection and accidental manslaughter, and then contemplate the possibilities for his future—but like? As in a romantic attraction? The thought made her stomach flutter and heart skip a beat. Melanie was extremely confused when she realized she was fighting hard to suppress a blush. Fortunately, her pokerface was virtually unbreakable, so her inner turmoil stayed inside where it belonged.

"You know it's rude to get into people's heads like that," Zoe said coolly.

"You think I like having to hear other people's thoughts all the time? I don't." Nan said.

"So stop," Zoe told her.

"She can't," Melanie said.

"I wish I could," Nan added. That was why her family had sent her away, because her power didn't have an off switch. Most people didn't like her once they knew she could hear their secrets. Which was why she liked Melanie. Unlike most people, who assumed it would be a cool power to have, she understood how annoying it could be. And she didn't blame her for it. What Melanie said and thought rarely contradicted each other. So Nan knew she could trust her. But she didn't want to hear Zoe's thoughts, which at the moment, weren't so nice. So she grabbed her big, orange sound-canceling headphones. "These help," she said and put them on, so she could listen to the music they were playing instead, and went back to reading her book.

"Does that really work?" Zoe asked Melanie.

Melanie shrugged. "She says it does." They both looked at Zoe's purse when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Zoe said, answering it.

"Zoe, it happened," Kyle's mom said on the other end of the phone. Melanie had been about to walk off to get some water and give her some privacy, when Zoe started heading into the next room and waved for her to follow. "Oh, hey, Alicia," Zoe said, letting her know who the caller was. "Kyle's come back to me," his mother continued. "Except…"

"It's not Kyle," she finished in a whisper, glancing nervously at the boy, who was staring unblinkingly at the TV.

"We'll be right over," Zoe said.

"What happened?" Melanie asked.

Zoe looked at her with a serious expression on her face. "It looks like you might have been right."

Kyle sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, rocking back and forth, while trying to forget the things his mother had done to him earlier. The TV had been a welcome distraction. But now that it was off, he didn't know what to do with himself.

Then his mother came back into his room. "Kyle, honey? I have a little surprise for you," she said. Kyle kept rocking, hoping it wasn't what he thought it might be. "I invited your friends Zoe and Melanie to come join us for dinner tonight. What do you think of that, huh?" Kyle shook his head. He didn't want them to see him like this. Not after what she just did to him. He felt dirty, unworthy to be in anyone else's presence. "They're sweet girls. Though that blonde's a quiet one. I don't know why you didn't tell me about them before. Did you think I'd not approve?" his mother asked as she walked around him to sit on the end of his bed behind him. "I certainly hope you don't feel like you have to keep secrets from me." She sighed when he kept rocking, refusing to even try to speak with her. "I've been possessive. I do know that," she continued, standing up again and walking back around to stand in front of him with her back to him. "I never meant for it to go so far, or go on for so long. But I think maybe you needed it just as much as I did." Kyle blinked. His eyes darkened and his expression hardened as every muscle in his face tensed. What did she just say? She said _he_ needed it? Didn't she understand how unloved, how worthless and ashamed it made him feel? How terrified he was every time she touched him? He didn't _need_ it. He _hated_ it! Why did she think he was so happy when he found out his scholarship would cover room and board as well as tuition? It was because he couldn't wait to get away from her. To have a place where she wouldn't be able touch him. He thought things would change once he went away to college. But they didn't. _She_ didn't. Kyle stopped rocking and stood up to face her. "But now it's time for you to move on with your life, and I understand that, and I want that," she continued, gasping when she turned around and suddenly realized how close they were.

"Jesus, Kyle!" Alicia cursed when she saw the look on his face, twisted with rage and pain. "Why won't you talk to me _!_?" she cried. "What's happened to you? They were so sure you were dead. They said they identified your body. Your body. I know your body, Kyle. I know it. And this…" she ripped his shirt open, exposing his torso, "it's different! You're different!" she screamed. "Who are you, if you're not my son _!_? My son. My son," she started to sob. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. What the hell happened to him? Where did her sweet Kyle go? "My sweet baby boy," she cried, clinging to him as she rested her head against his chest. The chest she didn't recognize. She kissed him, but he just stood there like a statue. She was getting desperate. "No body knows you like I do. Not even those girls. Neither one of them knows how to please you. Not like I can." She turned around and pressed her back against him, placing his hands on her hips. "Mama knows how to please you, baby." She tried moving his hands up and down her thighs. "It's okay." Unfortunately for her, Kyle did not the respond the way she wanted him to.

He'd had enough. Kyle saw red. He wasn't going to do this anymore. He wasn't going to take it anymore. He started shaking, trembling from the effort it took to form the word he so desperately sought. "No!" he shouted furiously, pushing her away.

"Kyle!" Alicia yelled as she slammed into the desk in front of her, shocked.

Kyle grabbed a trophy off the top of his dresser. "No!" he shouted again, swinging it at her as she turned to face him again. The body of the woman who had violated him for so long hit the floor of his room with a loud thud. "No!" he screamed, hitting her again. There was a sickening _crack_ every time the heavy marble base of the trophy collided with her skull. But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Every negative emotion he had ever felt towards her was flowing through his body all at once, channeled out into this one act of unspeakable violence. "No!" The pain. "No!" The shame. "No!" The humiliation. "No!" The frustration. "No!" The anger. "No!" The betrayal. _"Noooooo!"_

The sky was pitch black by the time Zoe and Melanie reached the Spencers' home. The only light came from the street lamps, which cast stark and eerily dense shadows that blended seamlessly with the night. That bad feeling Melanie had earlier returned full force as they approached the house. It hit her so hard that it made her stomach hurt. The first sign that there was something wrong was the lack of lights. Even though they were supposed to be expecting company, the lights on the porch and in the foyer were off. Melanie rang the doorbell, but minutes passed and no one answered. Zoe tried knocking on the door. It opened by itself with a creak. It hadn't been locked at all. The two girls exchanged a glance. That was never a good sign. Going in probably wasn't a good idea. After all, this was how most people died in horror movies. But they couldn't leave without making sure Kyle and his mother were okay.

"Hello?" Zoe called as they cautiously entered the house. They tried to move slowly and quietly, but old houses rarely allow for that. The door creaked and several floorboards squeaked as they crept carefully through the rooms together. Fortunately, some lights were on further inside the house. "Alicia?" Zoe called again more softly as they passed from the dimly lit kitchen over to the door that led to the hallway, which was slightly ajar. Melanie reached out and opened it as quietly as she could, but the hinges still let out a soft creak. The hall was dark. The only source of light came spilling from an open room. They stepped into the open doorway and froze. Inside was the scene of horrific and violent murder. A woman, who could have only been Alicia, was lying on the floor. She was barely recognizable. Her face had been smashed so badly that her skull had caved in. Blood and bits of brain were splattered on her shirt and the carpet and the skirt of the bed. On the carpet, near her head, was a little golden plastic figurine that appeared to have been snapped off some kind of sports trophy. Was that what had been used to kill her? The two girls exchanged a frightened glance. Time to go. They turned to leave, only to find themselves trapped. Standing only inches away from them was none other than Kyle, covered in blood and holding the other half of the murder weapon. Melanie's eyes widened in shock. Zoe screamed in terror. Melanie immediately clapped a hand over her mouth to silence her, afraid it might set him off. If Kyle could do that to his own mother, who knew what he would do them? But, to her surprise, Kyle screamed, too. The two girls watched, bewildered, as he dropped the trophy and stumbled backwards, pressing himself up against the other wall as he slumped to the floor and stared up at them with big, wide eyes. Now he was the one who was scared. For a while they all just stood there staring at each other. Eventually, the silence was broken by Melanie. It started as a soft chuckle that grew to a full laugh. Kyle blinked, and Zoe stared at her as if she had lost her mind.

"I'm sorry," Melanie said, through her laughter, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "I don't know why I'm laughing… It's just… It's just so… for a moment, I seriously thought at least one of us was gonna die!"

"Someone _did_ die," Zoe reminded her, still staring at her with an incredulous look on her face. That sobered Melanie up fast.

"Right," she said, adopting a more serious expression. She glanced between the grizzly murder scene behind them and the bloody boy in front of them. "I guess the question is, 'What do we do now?'"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Fearful Pranks Ensue**

* * *

In the end, Zoe and Melanie decided to stay. Despite the vicious attack on his mother, Kyle didn't seem ready to hurt them. They left Kyle where he was and retreated to the sofa in the front room while they tried to figure out what had happened and formulate some kind of plan. Melanie thought they should leave Kyle's room, his mother's body, and the discarded murder weapon untouched. She thought it would be better that way when the cops investigated after the body was found, because the only prints and DNA they would find in there would be Kyle's, and he was supposed to be dead, so they would probably assume those prints were from when he was still alive and that the crime had been committed by an unknown assailant wearing gloves. Any fingerprints left by them in other parts of the house could be explained by their harmless little visit earlier in the day. But they couldn't shake the subject of why he did it. What would make Kyle kill his own mother? Did he just snap, or did he have a reason? "Maybe she provoked him? Maybe she rejected him, like you said, and he couldn't control himself." Zoe said.

"Maybe…" Melanie said, looking around the room. For some reason, she couldn't stop staring at the family photos that were out on display. Zoe followed her gaze. She bit her lip and tears welled up in her eyes upon seeing a picture of the mother and son together. Of the family they had destroyed. Melanie was startled when she suddenly burst into sobs.

"I'm sorry," Zoe told the smiling woman in the photograph. "I'm so sorry." Her body shook from how hard she was crying as she buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean for it to happen. It's all my fault. All of it. Because of me, Kyle… and now his mother's dead. He killed his own mother. I should've listened to you. We never should have brought him back…"

"It's not… you didn't know," Melanie said, struggling to think of the right words. "You didn't know." Hesitantly, she reached out and placed a hand on the distraught girl's shoulder. Zoe leaned against her for comfort, wrapping her arms around her. Melanie could already feel her shirt growing damp from her tears and something that felt a little slimy, like snot or spit, but she didn't push her away. "You… you're not the only one to blame, you know. It's my fault, too. That night, before we went to the party… I changed my mind about going because I used my tarot cards to do a reading. I knew something bad was gonna happen, but I didn't know what or to who it would happen to. I knew Madison wouldn't listen to me, so I went with you guys to try to stop it. But I failed. So it's my fault. I could've prevented it. All of this. I should've just tied her up or knocked her out. But I didn't. I let her go. And she got raped. Kyle and those assholes got killed. You and Madison revived Kyle. And Kyle killed the coroner and his mother. You see, it's not your fault. It all comes back to me. Everything that happened is my fault." If she thought that would calm Zoe down, she was wrong. Instead, Zoe clung tighter to her and started crying harder. Melanie realized she was crying too. Her cheeks were wet, and her nose was in danger of running. It really was her fault. She had been trying not to think about it, but the truth had finally caught up with her. All of this was on her. Despite her usual aversion to being touched, Melanie found herself hugging Zoe back. They held onto each other as if they were adrift at sea, and they were the only things keeping each other afloat. They cried, and they cried. For how long, they weren't sure. But it must have been hours. By the time they realized that they had run out of tears and were too exhausted to cry anymore, it was too bright in the room for it to still be night. Melanie's eyes widened as she whipped her head around to look out the window. "Shit," she said. "It's already turned into the next day."

"Shit," Zoe cursed in agreement. When the hell did that happen? They couldn't have been crying for that long, could they? The two witches quickly pulled themselves together and started wiping away the evidence of their crying.

Melanie frowned slightly when she realized she could hear something coming from another room in the house. "What's that thumping sound?" She and Zoe looked at each other and their eyes widened as they realized who it had to be. Kyle.

Kyle had retreated to the bathroom. He had seen the terrified expressions on the girls' faces. Zoe had screamed after looking at him. That startled him, and he had to move back before he lashed out and hurt them. It scared him that they were afraid of him. He was afraid, too. And then, Melanie laughed. It was strange, hearing such a musical sound and seeing such a cheerful face in the midst of such a tense situation. Her reaction seemed to upset Zoe, but it had actually helped him relax a little. He was confused, but he was relieved that she didn't seem to be afraid of him anymore. Even though she should have been. When the girls left him sitting in the hall, he had been worried they would leave him again. But they didn't. He didn't know why he decided to go to the bathroom. But he regretted it the moment he saw his face in the mirror. How it was covered in blood. His mother's blood. The reality of what he had done to her finally began to sink in. He crumpled to the floor beside the tub. He had killed his own mother. With his own hands. He was a monster. No wonder they had been afraid of him. They should be. Melanie's laughter confused him even more. He didn't understand. He was afraid of himself. He hated himself now more than ever. He started hitting his head against the tub. Over and over. Over and over. Until the girls came rushing in to check on him.

"Kyle, no!" Zoe said, squatting down to put a hand on his shoulder, while Melanie furrowed her brow with concern and leaned down to observe him from over hers. Kyle stopped and looked up at them. With all the blood that was already on his face, it was hard to tell if he had injured himself. But he had definitely been crying. Tear tracks ran down his face, leaving streaks of clean skin peeking out from the blood. His gaze flitted between the two girls. He could see that they had been crying, too. They must have been crying because of him. Because of what he did.

"Kyle…" he said in soft, raspy voice, surprising them with the first intelligible word that they had ever heard him utter since he was brought back. "No, Kyle." Zoe sucked in a shaky breath. The two girls could hear the sadness in his voice and see the pain in his eyes. And it was all because of the choices that they had made.

Melanie grabbed a towel and turned on the sink to wet it. "Let's get him cleaned up." She said, managing to keep her voice and hands steady.

"I'm sorry," Zoe told him, on the verge of tears again. "I'm so, so sorry. We didn't mean for it to happen, any of it." Kyle looked from Zoe to Melanie. Zoe was staring at him with tears in her eyes, while Melanie wouldn't look him at all, pretending to be busy with the washcloth. A soft sob escaped Zoe's lips, and Melanie looked up while Kyle carefully reached out to touch her face, trying to catch her tear.

Melanie bit her lip. "Zoe," she said as gently as she could, "Why don't you go see if there's any food in the kitchen?" None of them had eaten anything in hours.

"Right," Zoe said, sniffing, as she stood up, grateful for the excuse to leave. "Are you hungry? God-God, you must be so hungry. I'm going to make you something," she told Kyle as she left the room. Kyle watched her go sadly, but his attention was soon focused on Melanie, who kneeled down in front of him so she could wash his face. Again, she didn't look him in the eye. She kept her eyes focused on the part of his face she was working on. But she was very gentle with him. She was patient and careful. The cool washcloth felt good on his face. Her expression while she wiped the blood from his face was calm. It was soothing for Kyle, watching her while she cleaned him up. But not for Melanie. Her expression grew sad and troubled. She didn't cry, but somehow, she seemed to be in even more pain because of it. This distressed Kyle. Then, at last, she looked him in the eye.

"It isn't Zoe's fault. It's mine," she said quietly, holding his gaze. "I've already told her that, but she still blames herself. I could've prevented all of this. But I didn't. So you can hate me if you want. I don't expect to be forgiven." Kyle stared at her. Melanie lowered her eyes again and set the washcloth down. "I'll go help Zoe in the kitchen." She stood up and moved to leave the room. Kyle wanted to call out to her, but his voice stuck in his throat. What he saw next made his heart stop for a beat. The moment Melanie stepped out into the hall, two red arms reached out and grabbed her. A large hand covered her mouth to keep her from screaming, while the other jammed a syringe into her neck and injected her with something that made her eyes roll into the back of her head and the rest of her body go limp. Then she was dragged away from his line of sight. It only took seconds. Kyle grabbed the tub and scrambled to his feet. He lunged out into the hall and saw a man wearing a Deadpool costume carrying Melanie out the back door. Kyle stumbled out after them. He watched in confusion as Deadpool put Melanie in the back of his car. It had all happened so suddenly that Kyle was still having a little trouble processing the situation. But knew he didn't like the look in that costumed assailant's eyes when he looked at her. So when he got behind the wheel and started to drive away with her, Kyle ran after them.

Zoe froze when she returned to the bathroom and saw that both Kyle and Melanie were gone. After fiddling around in the kitchen, she had found the ingredients for tuna salad and rat poisoning. Convinced that Kyle would probably be better off if they could put him out of his misery, she had added enough poison to the tuna to kill a whole colony of rats. But she still wasn't sure it was really the right thing to do. Was it really okay for them to kill Kyle when they were the ones who had made him this way? _No. He isn't 'Kyle' anymore_ , she told herself. He wasn't that smart, funny, sweet boy they had meet at the party anymore. He was something else now. He was dangerous. And it was their fault. So it was up to them to stop him. She was sure that Melanie would understand. She might have even done this herself if she had found the poison first. But they weren't there. Zoe didn't understand. She didn't think she had been gone that long. She knew they weren't in Kyle's room. The only one in there was Alicia's corpse when she passed it a moment ago. Zoe set the bowl of poisoned tuna down on the bathroom sink counter and pulled open the shower curtain to make sure one of them wasn't hiding in there, just in case. No one. The bathroom was completely empty. She checked the second bedroom next. Empty again. "Shit," Zoe cursed. She ran back to the front of the house and stumbled out onto the porch. People were walking around outside on the streets in costumes. Trick-or-treaters. She had forgotten today was supposed to be Halloween. But, more importantly, where the hell were Melanie and Kyle? Did he do something to her? Did she take him somewhere? If so, why didn't she say anything to her? Zoe stepped back inside the house and pulled out her phone. She tried calling Melanie, but there was no answer. She waited a few minutes and tried again. Nothing. She didn't know what to do. Should she wait here? No, that was a terrible idea. What if someone came to check on Alicia and they found her sitting here in the house with her dead body? She couldn't stay here. But she didn't know where else to go, where Melanie might have taken Kyle. Other than Misty's. The car had still been there when she went outside, so they hadn't taken it. Thinking about it, since it was Halloween, people who didn't know any better might think the blood on Kyle was part of a costume. He could blend right in with the trick-or-treaters. Did Melanie take him on the bus? No, that was too big of a risk. Melanie was too smart for that. Zoe groaned in frustration and cradled her head in her hands. The only comfort was that she assumed Melanie was probably still all right, because if Kyle had killed her, she would have found her body in the bathroom. They must have gone somewhere together, but she didn't think Melanie was the type to run off without saying anything. Zoe groaned again. In the end, she decided to return to the school after a couple more calls went unanswered. She assumed that whatever was going on, Melanie would eventually go back there once it was over. In the meantime, she would just have to keep trying her cell. Zoe had no idea how much danger Melanie was really in at the moment.

Melanie was fading in and out of consciousness. In that hazy state of mind, caught between the waking world and oblivion, she seemed to have gained a heightened awareness of the workings of her subconscious. Through the fog, she saw clear images of the Spencer family photos. And, suddenly, she knew exactly what had bothered her about them. What was wrong with them. Bodies pressed together a little too close. A touch a too intimate. She had seen pictures like that before. In Steven Pritchard's house. Those were the kind of photos he used to take with her. He told her they were normal. And to the untrained eye they may have appeared to be. But they weren't. Not when you looked into the eyes of the child. It was there. The signs were there, however subtle, and she had missed them. Kyle hadn't killed his mother because she rejected him. She had done something much, much worse. "No…" Melanie moaned, horrified. She and Zoe hadn't brought Kyle somewhere safe. They had delivered him straight into the hands of his abuser. "No…" she cried, angry with herself for what she had done. It was her fault. She should have known. She should have seen it sooner. She should have looked harder that first time they met Alicia. She should have…

Melanie was shocked wide-awake by a wave of cold water suddenly washing over her. She sputtered and blinked. No, it wasn't a wave. It was a bottle of water. Someone had poured it out over her head. "You…" she said, stunned when her vision focused, and she saw who the culprit was. "Am I on a trip…?" she asked, extremely confused to find herself face to face with Deadpool in an old, abandoned house. She thought she could smell gas. Where was she? Was she still dreaming? She tried to get up and realized that she had been tied to the wooden chair she was sitting in.

Deadpool laughed as he watched her struggle against her restraints. "No. I didn't give you that kind of drugs." Melanie froze, and her eyes widened when she heard that. She suddenly remembered the moment she had been grabbed, the sharp pain in her neck. This guy had injected her with something.

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to stay calm. The voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"I'm Deadpool. Can't you tell?" He said. She could hear the grin in his voice. "I couldn't resist. He's my spirit animal. I'm telling you, some day they're gonna give him his own movie."

Melanie blinked. "No, I mean, why are you doing this to me? What do you want?"

"Oh, right. Ta-da!" he said, pulling off his mask to reveal his identity. "Does this help explain things?"

Melanie's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock. "Michael _!_?"

He threw his head back and laughed. His brown curls shook and his dark eyes glistened with glee. "Oh-ho. You should see the look on your face! I've been stalking you ever since that party, and you even never noticed. It was a pain in the ass, but it was so worth it."

"What the fuck, Michael? This isn't funny, you psycho!" She yelled angrily, rocking her chair as she struggled against her restraints.

"Yes, it is. It's fucking hilarious!" he said, still laughing, as he leaned forward and put his hands on the arms of the chair hold it steady. "You didn't really think I'd let you go so easily, did you? Especially not after finding out you were witch." Melanie stopped and looked at him.

"What?" she asked, letting her pokerface slide firmly in place. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. I saw what you and your little friends did to that bus. I'm a witch hunter, bitch. I know magic when I see it."

Melanie's heart skipped a beat in fear. "What…? You're a witch hunter? Since when?" She hoped he didn't do anything to Zoe.

"Since I turned thirteen," he replied with a smirk, moving closer so their noses were almost touching. "It's all thanks to you, really. Remember when you found that cat and outed me as the neighborhood pet killer? Well, it turns out the Rousseaus had connections. They knew a witch hunter who was looking for an apprentice. And since I was already a killer, they figured 'why not'? So I'm kind of like Dexter, but with witches instead of serial killers. I really have to thank you. I'd always wanted to kill a person." He inched his face even closer and pressed his lips against hers in a forceful kiss. Melanie grunted in disgust and displeasure. She bit his lip hard when he tried to shove his tongue in her mouth. "Ouch!" Michael laughed, pulling away quickly, as he touched a couple of fingers to his bleeding lip. "Aw. There she is. That's the girl I've been looking for all these years." He slapped her hard across the face. Melanie spat out the taste of his blood, and he grabbed her jaw to force her to look back at him. "You'd better play nice. I can make this very unpleasant for you. If you aren't good, I'll go back and grab your friend, too."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a fucking lunatic?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him in a hard glare.

His face split into a wide grin. "You know, they never really stop?" His smile fell when he saw the time on her watch. "Aw, shit. I wanted to play a little more, but you took too long waking up," he said, moving to retrieve something behind her. Melanie craned her neck to look around caught sight of the edge of a table. What she couldn't see was the handgun he pulled out of the small duffle bag he had left sitting on it. He reached in again and retrieved a silencer. "We're gonna have to cut playtime short now." Melanie's eyes widened a little in alarm when he walked back into her view while screwing the silencer on and she realized he was going to shoot her. Immediately, she fixed him with an intense stare and willed him to burst into flames. Nothing happened. She narrowed her eyes and pushed harder. Nothing. Melanie was confused. Michael started laughing again. "What are you trying to do? Oh, right. I forgot to explain. That little cocktail I shot you up with earlier? It's a special blend of drugs that can suppress a witch's powers. Nice, huh?" He smirked at the flicker of terror he saw in her eyes when he revealed how powerless she was. "But it only works for a little while before you bitches start developing an immunity. Which is why I'll have to shoot you now. One silver bullet to the heart ought to do the trick, don't you think?" Michael grinned and aimed the gun at her chest. Melanie closed her eyes as he started to squeeze the trigger. The gun went off with a bang, followed by the sound of a loud thud. Melanie realized she didn't feel any pain. And there were some odd grunting noises coming from somewhere in front of her. Melanie opened her eyes and was stunned by what she saw. There, on the dusty floor of the abandoned house, Kyle was wrestling with Michael. Kyle slammed Michael's back against the floor, making him cry out in pain.

"Shit!" Michael yelled, raising his arm to aim the gun at Kyle.

"Kyle!" Melanie shouted as Kyle swatted Michael's arm away just as he pulled the trigger. She flinched and let out a small yelp when the redirected bullet zipped past the side of her head, clipping the top edge of her ear. Kyle jumped, distracted by one or both sounds.

Michael used the moment of distraction to his advantage and kicked Kyle off of him. "Get the fuck out of my way!" he shouted, furious that his kill had been interrupted. Kyle rolled back onto his knees, only to find Michael standing in front of him with the gun pointed straight between his eyes.

"No!" Melanie screamed, wanting him as far away from Kyle as possible. It was hard to say who was more shocked when Michael suddenly flew across the room and crashed through a crumbling wall of sheet rock. The drugs had worn off. Melanie could use her powers again. And, apparently, she had a new one. Kyle whipped his head around, glancing between her and their would-be attacker in confusion. _Did… Did I do that?_ she wondered, stunned. But there was no time to wallow. Michael was a tough son of a bitch, and he was already sitting up and raising his arm to point the gun at her. Melanie narrowed her eyes and glared at him. _Backfire,_ she thought, focusing directly on the gun. He pulled the trigger, and it exploded in his hand. Michael screamed in agony as what was left of the gun fell from the mangled remains of his hand. Shards of shrapnel were embedded in his chest. Some had hit his heart. He must have been bleeding into his lungs, because he coughed up blood. A few pieces of shrapnel had hit his legs. It didn't look like he was getting up again. "Kyle. Kyle!" she said, getting the stunned boy's attention. "Can you untie me?" Kyle stared at her, and for a moment, she wasn't sure he was going to do it. But then he lurched up and onto his feet and staggered over to her side. His strong hands fumbled with the knots until he got frustrated and lost his patience with them. He growled and ripped the rope apart with his bare hands. "Thanks," she told him, shrugging off the loosened restraints. She was about to stand up when she realized Kyle was still crouched in front of her, blocking her way. He wasn't doing anything threatening. Just staring very deeply into her eyes. It was intense. And awkward. "Kyle. We have to go now," she said calmly, taking his hands in hers to help him stand with her. Kyle and blinked and seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, because he glanced back at Michael. He was weak, but still alive. Melanie didn't know whether or not his wounds were bad enough to kill him, but he was too dangerous to leave alive. She had to be sure. She looked around the room for something she could use and spotted the source of the gas she had smelled. There was an open can of gasoline next to the table with the gun bag. She also spotted a key ring on the floor near the chair that must have fallen out of Michael's pocket when he was struggling with Kyle. There was a set of car keys on it. She picked them up and put them in her own pocket. She walked over to the can of gasoline and gave it a kick, letting the flammable liquid spread out across the floor. Then she took the bag as evidence for the Council—she knew she would have to report this—and led Kyle to the door. She paused on the threshold and looked around. The entire block was completely deserted. All of the other houses appeared to be abandoned, too. All bore various signs of neglect and decay. Some of them had completely fallen apart. The yards and empty lots were overgrown with tall grass and weeds. They must be in one of the areas that had never recovered after Katrina. It was the perfect spot if you wanted to commit a crime without being interrupted. That was probably why Michael had chosen it. But he hadn't counted on Kyle showing up. Melanie glanced back at Michael. Her eyes met his. Then she looked at the spilled gasoline, and set it ablaze. She could hear Michael cursing her name as they descended the porch steps.

They found Michael's car in the driveway. It was a red mustang. Melanie would have preferred something less flashy, but beggars can't be choosers. She helped Kyle into the passenger's seat. She paused and stood with the driver's door open, listening. Michael had stopped yelling. The fire or the smoke must have gotten to him. The house was completely engulfed in flames the minute Melanie pulled out of the driveway. Kyle craned his neck to look back as the blazing inferno grew smaller with distance. Melanie kept her eyes on the road and soon discovered how Kyle had managed to follow Michael in his car even though he had been on foot. The abandoned house he chose had only been a few blocks away from Kyle's house. Like Zoe, Melanie had forgotten that it was supposed to be Halloween in all the chaos.

 _Good,_ she thought when she saw the people in costumes. That meant no one would think twice about two teens covered in blood. Anyone who saw them would assume it was makeup. Melanie looked at the damaged boy next to her. She would be dead if it wasn't for him. "Kyle," she said, getting his attention. Kyle turned to look at her. She gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks for saving me."

While all of this was happening in the Ninth Ward, the school was experiencing a crisis of its own. Cordelia had been asleep in her bed when her mother suddenly came in and flicked the lights on. "Get up." Fiona said, rousing her from her sleep. "Cordelia, get up. I need your help." Cordelia quickly got out of bed and followed her mother out the room. From the blood smeared on Fiona's face and the tone of her voice, she knew it must be something serious. Fiona led her to Melanie and Queenie's room. Cordelia's attention was immediately drawn to Queenie's bed, where the poor girl was lying sprawled out with a damp cloth on her forehead and a bleeding wound on her abdomen.

Cordelia gasped. "My God, what happened?" It looked like Queenie had been gored by something. Her body was shivering, trembling from the immense pain she must have been in.

"This girl was attacked," Fiona said, "near to death while you slept."

"By who?" Cordelia asked, quickly putting on her glasses. She started digging around in her bag for the items she would need to help Queenie.

"Not by who. By what," Fiona said, going into the bathroom to get some more towels. "Some minion of hell or other."

Cordelia pulled out a candle in a silver holder and lit it with a match. "Summoned by who? Not one of our girls."

"Oh, Christ, our girls couldn't pull a rabbit out of a hat," Fiona told her as she came back into the room and started arranging the towels around Queenie to soak up the blood. "This was dark art voodoo, flat out."

Cordelia looked up at that. "Marie Laveau."

"No doubt," Fiona said.

"This is your fault," Cordelia told her, rushing to retrieve the ingredients she needed to make a healing potion for Queenie and mixing them with a small mortar and pestle. "You went to see her. You deliberately provoked her."

"How would you know that?" Fiona asked.

"Because she told me," Cordelia said sternly.

"Yeah? And what were you doing over on that side of town?" Fiona asked.

"It was a personal matter," Cordelia replied quietly.

Fiona looked at her. "Christ, Delia! Is that where you were sneaking off to this afternoon?" she asked scathingly. "To the voodoos for some half-assed fertility spell? Her Pochaut Medecine? Huh? How much did she take you for?"

"Nothing, thanks to you," Cordelia said, angry. "I left there with nothing." She stood up and began applying the potion to Queenie's neck using a brush.

"Yeah, not even your dignity," Fiona snapped. "Christ. You as much as announced that her magic was stronger than yours. Or mine!"

"Don't you try to put this on me," Cordelia said, turning to face her. "You went there first."

"I went there to show strength," Fiona yelled. "And you undermined me by showing belly."

Cordelia was about to say something that would have continued the argument, but then she noticed something startling. Queenie's chest had stopped moving. "Mother?" she said, reaching out to hold her hand near Queenie's mouth to see if she could feel her breath. "She's not breathing."

Fiona tucked her hair behind her ears and moved closer to the bed. "Move." Cordelia stepped back to give her space and watched worriedly as her mother leaned over Queenie and performed Vitalum Vitalis, trying to breathe life back into the poor girl. Cordelia prayed they weren't too late. To their relief, Queenie opened her mouth and gasped for breath again. She moaned in pain as Fiona straightened up.

Cordelia rushed forward to take over, placing a hand on her chest just to be sure. "I've got a heartbeat. But maybe we should get her to a hospital," she said urgently.

"No, that is out of the question," Fiona said firmly. "From now on, we handle everything internally. The last thing you want is to have the Council show up on your doorstep and question your competence."

Cordelia looked away and realized something that she had been too absorbed with helping Queenie to notice before. Melanie's bed was empty. And it looked like it hadn't been slept in at all. "Where's Melanie?" she asked her mother as she started to walk away, concerned.

"How should I know?" Fiona said carelessly, stalking out of the room without so much as a glance back at her. Cordelia turned back to Queenie and quickly dressed her wounds. She made sure she was stable enough to be left alone for a little while before she went and checked on the other girls. She hoped nothing had happened to them.

Madison and Zoe weren't in their beds either. Cordelia was really beginning to worry now. She checked on Nan next. She might be able to tell her where they were. "Nan. Nan, wake up," Cordelia said, shaking her awake. She had fallen asleep with her headphones on. She lifted one of them a bit so Nan could hear her. "Do you know where Melanie, Zoe, and Madison are?"

"Melanie and Zoe left together earlier," Nan mumbled groggily, still half asleep. "Don't know about Madison." She rolled over and covered her ears again. Cordelia was a little relieved to hear that Melanie and Zoe had been away during the attack. And knowing Madison, she was probably out partying somewhere. They should all be back soon. With that weight off her mind, Cordelia quickly rushed back to Queenie's side to continue nursing her.

It was morning, and Melanie still hadn't returned to her room. Cordelia was beginning to worry. Cordelia picked up her phone and called her, but there was no answer. This wasn't like her. She was usually more responsible than this. If Melanie wasn't back by breakfast she was going to send out a search party. Feeling the need for the comfort of hearing a friendly voice, Cordelia decided to call Hank.

"How's Baton Rouge?" Cordelia asked him. "I hate it when you take foreman jobs out of town."

"You know we need the money," Hank reminded her.

"What time's your meeting with Phil Underwood?" she asked. She heard a knocking sound in the background on the other end of the phone.

"Oh, actually, he's here right now," Hank said. "I'll call you later."

"Okay," Cordelia said and hung up, disappointed their call had to end so soon. She looked up and realized the new maid her mother hired the other day had come into the room.

"How is she?" Delphine asked, concerned. Cordelia walked over to Queenie's bed to check on her. She still hadn't regained consciousness. Cordelia took the damp rag from her forehead and began gently patting her face with it. "Come on, Queenie," she said, encouraging her to try to open her eyes. "Come on." Queenie suddenly gasped loudly in alarm as she bolted upright in her bed in a panic. Cordelia quickly gabbed her before she hurt herself and started shushing her, trying to calm her down. "It's okay. Hey, hey, now." Cordelia said gently. Delphine stood up to get a better look.

"Am I dead?" Queenie asked.

"No, honey, you're not dead," Cordelia reassured her. "Let me get you a fresh towel." She could hear Delphine talking to Queenie while she was in the bathroom.

"I don't know how to thank you for saving my life," the maid told her.

"I guess you'll just have to work on that then, huh?" Queenie responded shortly. Cordelia thought that was a bit harsh, but Queenie was probably still in a lot of pain. She came back out with a fresh, cool and damp washcloth. Delphine stepped aside so she could sit on the bed beside Queenie and place it on her forehead. And then Nan came marching into the room, fully awake and dressed for the day.

"They're here," she said.

"The girls are back?" Cordelia asked hopefully, feeling relieved.

"Not the girls," Nan said. Cordelia's smile fell. She didn't like the sound of that.

Outside, Myrtle Snow stood before the school gates alongside her fellow members of the Council, Cecily Pembroke and Quentin Fleming. Myrtle raised her hand and used telekinesis to open the gates.

Still in her nightgown and robe, Cordelia hurried down the stairs to see who their unexpected guests might be and found the two witches and warlock already waiting for her in the sitting room. "Wow," Cordelia said, stopping in her tracks for a moment before approaching them. This couldn't be good. "I had no idea the Council would be joining us today." Myrtle stepped forward to greet her with a hug. "How screwed am I?" Cordelia whispered.

"Mm, just breathe," Myrtle advised her as they parted.

"Council on Witchcraft assembles only under the greatest of circumstances," Pembroke said grimly.

"And who doesn't love a surprise?" Quentin added with a smile.

"I can guess why you're here," Cordelia said. Myrtle looked at her. "Last night's assault on Queenie was a horrific tragedy, but I can assure you she is resting comfortably." Myrtle exchanged surprised and concerned looks with her colleagues

"Assault?" she asked. "Elaborate, elucidate."

"I didn't see it myself, but…" Cordelia began.

"By who?" Pembroke asked.

"Well, what, actually," Cordelia replied. "Something not altogether human."

"You should have alerted us at once," Myrtle said.

"Yes, I was going to. I just…" Cordelia said, but any excuse she had died on her tongue when she looked at the older woman. "Yes." She knew Myrtle was right. This was a very serious matter. She shouldn't have let her mother push her into attempting to brush it under the carpet.

"That's not why we're here," Pembroke said, surprising her. "Something potentially far more grave has come to our attention."

"Oh, God," Cordelia said, immediately feeling guilty. "I should never have gone over there. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." She knew that she had made a mistake as soon as she saw the confused expressions on their faces. "Shit," she said softly before steeling her nerve. "You might as well know. I went to Marie Laveau. But it was never my intention to violate the truce."

Myrtle couldn't believe how foolish she had been. It worried her. Cordelia was a smart girl. What on earth could have possessed her? Between this, the attack she mentioned, and their real reason for being there, it appeared her little bird had bitten off more than she could chew. "I see, well, perhaps we should all sit down," she suggested. This was going to be a long day.

"Actually, don't get too comfortable," Fiona said stalking into the room. "And you?" she said, pointing at Cordelia. "Stop talking."

"Fiona, it's been a long time," Myrtle said at the appearance of her old nemesis.

"Oh, Myrtle Snow," Fiona said, taking in her appearance. "Look at you. Developing a sense of when no one was paying attention." Myrtle merely blinked. She was used to enduring far worse mocking from the undeserving witch. "Quentin, you vicious old queen, hmm," Fiona said, turning her attention to the others. Quentin giggled as she leaned forward and they kissed each other's cheeks in greeting. "What's it take for a girl to get her phone call returned?"

"Oh, my life is pure torment," he said. "One book signing after another. Travel, travel, travel. It's like get me _off_ the best seller list already."

Fiona reached out and patted his cheek. "Just remember whose magic it was that put you there."

"Fiona… you're a caution," Quentin said playfully.

Fiona laughed and turned to the last Council member. She sighed. "Pembroke." Then she chuckled before simply turning to walk over to the sofa to sit down before them. "So… you old hens, what have you come to cluck about?"

This was the moment Myrtle had been waiting for. "We were summoned by one of your students."

"Which one?" Fiona asked. She wanted to know which of the little idiots was responsible for this unwelcome invasion.

"Me," Nan said, stepping forward to enter the room. "I can't hear her anymore. Madison? I think she's dead," she explained urgently. She had noticed the disturbing change the moment she had fully awoken earlier that morning.

"That's why we're here," Myrtle confirmed, looking straight at Fiona.

Cordelia went upstairs to get dressed before the interviews began. She paused when she heard the sound of footsteps and a door closing down the hall. She quickly finished dressing and went to check, hoping it was the missing girls returning. She soon discovered that the only who had come back was Zoe.

"Zoe? Where's Melanie? Didn't she go out with you?" Cordelia asked, concerned.

"Uh, yeah… but we got separated," Zoe said a little awkwardly, startled to have been confronted so soon. Should she tell Cordelia what happened? She was worried about Melanie, but what if it was just a false alarm? Melanie was one of the toughest people she'd ever met. She could be perfectly fine and on her way back to the school as they spoke. No. She decided to give Melanie more time before saying anything that could get them or Kyle in trouble. "She was fine the last time I saw her. I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Alright," Cordelia said, somewhat placated. "Have you seen Madison by any chance?"

Zoe shook her head. "Not since yesterday."

Cordelia sighed. "I thought so. Well, you better get down to the kitchen and have something to eat. It's going to be a long day."

The Council commandeered the table that Madison and the others had thrown Zoe on her first day at the school as the central point from which to conduct their business. As court reporter, Pembroke's fingers tapped away at the stenograph, creating a written record of the proceedings, while Myrtle began the investigation. "Let the record show the official inquiry into the disappearance of our sister witch Madison Montgomery has commenced. And the penalty for inflicting grievous bodily harm against a Salem descendent can be but one—death by fire," Myrtle said with Cordelia seated before them. "Ms. Foxx? When was the last time you saw or spoke to Madison?"

"Yesterday," Cordelia answered. "Madison is a spirited girl. The fact that she stayed out all night is hardly a shocker."

"So it's not unusual for you to lose track of your charges for extended periods of time?" Pembroke asked.

"No, that's not…" Cordelia said, upset. "Do you read TMZ? Madison's already spent more time with us than at any rehab facility she's been sentenced to. She's a special case."

"Did she give the impression of being a particularly powerful witch?" Myrtle asked Zoe when it was her turn.

"I mean, she's a movie star. So she's got that thing, you know?" Zoe said, nervous. She hadn't expected to come back to the Spanish Inquisition. She had the Council before her and Cordelia behind her, keeping watch from a chair on the side.

"No, we don't. What thing?" Pembroke asked.

"That thing you lack, darling," Quentin told her. "Charisma."

Since she was bedridden due to her injuries, Queenie was interviewed from the comfort of her own bed. "Madison Montgomery is a stone-cold bitch who loves hard drinking, big dicks, and trouble. If she's dead, it's probably 'cause she got wasted and offered the Grim Reaper a hand job or something," she said, drinking the nasty green potion Cordelia had given her to help speed up her recovery.

They hit a snag with their next interview. "Where is Melanie?" Myrtle asked, concerned when they learned she was absent.

"I-I don't know," Cordelia said, wringing her hands together nervously. "She went out with Zoe yesterday. Zoe came back earlier, but… she said she and Melanie got separated. She thinks she'll be back soon, though."

This news startled Myrtle. Now two young witches were missing. "Yes, let's hope so." They would have to save her interview for later. Melanie was a strong girl, but Myrtle was worried that Fiona may have gotten her claws into her, too. She knew that if anything happened to the dear girl, Cordelia would never forgive herself. And Myrtle would never forgive Fiona. "Before her disappearance was Madison manifesting any powers, new ones, rapidly accumulating?" she asked.

"New Powers?" Cordelia asked. "No. Mostly we were concentrating on helping her control her telekinesis, not developing new skills." She noticed something odd out of the corner of her eye and looked down. Something wasn't where it should have been. "Where's my rug?"

"Yeah, she had powers all right. Lots of them," Nan answered when they asked her the same question while she carved a pumpkin in the kitchen. "She set the neighbor's curtains on fire."

"How did she do that?" Myrtle asked. Did this mean Madison now had pyrokinesis just like Melanie?

"By looking at them. It was awesome," Nan said. The three older witches exchanged a glance.

"Who else knew about this?" Quentin asked.

Melanie pulled Michael's mustang off the side of the beaten track once they were within walking distance of Misty's cabin and sighed as she put it into park. She leaned back in the seat, feeling tired and hungry. She was sure Kyle was, too. She really hoped Misty wouldn't mind them dropping in on her like this. "Come on," she said, getting out to help Kyle. He was still a little clumsy and his balance was often off, but his motor skills seemed to have improved since yesterday. It appeared he was gradually adapting to his new body. She hoped his mind would be able to catch up soon. Approaching the house, they could see Misty was outside watering her garden. Melanie led Kyle right up behind her and stopped. "Misty," she said, making the other witch jump in surprise.

"Oh, my lord," Misty gasped as she turned to face them. She smiled as soon as she saw who it was. "It's you." They really did comeback. "What are you doing here? Is that blood?" she asked, reaching out in an attempt to touch the dried blood on Melanie's ear and neck.

"It looks worse than it is," Melanie said, moving her head slightly to avoid it. It was still pretty tender. "And it's a long story."

"I bet," Misty said, taking a closer look at the two of them. "You both look like you've been rode hard and put up wet. My daddy used to say that." She added with a small smile.

"I know you've done a lot for us already, but… do you think you could help us?" Melanie asked. "I'll explain everything once we're inside."

Misty smiled. "Sure. But only if you stay for dinner this time."

"I think I can manage that," Melanie said.

After giving Misty a rough outline of what had happened with Michael—she had simply said Kyle wasn't ready to go back yet after all, since she was now certain that he had not attacked his mother unprovoked—Melanie drove the stolen car deeper into the swamp to dispose of it. She couldn't leave it lying around with her blood in it. She grabbed the bag of guns from the backseat. She had rolled all of the windows down and was about to shift it into neutral so she could push it into the water, when she suddenly heard her cell's ringtone. Looking around and following the sound, she discovered that her purse had somehow ended up lodged under the passenger's seat. She yanked it free and took out her phone. She had ten missed calls from Zoe and two from Cordelia. Melanie decided to call Zoe first to make sure she was all right. And so they could get their stories straight.

Zoe glanced at her phone when it rang and immediately sat up from her bed to grab it and answer when she saw the caller ID. "Melanie _!_? Where have you been? I was really worried about you. You won't believe what happened while we were gone."

Melanie let out a tired laugh on her end of the phone. "Yeah, same here. Sorry for disappearing on you, but I'm all right. Kyle, too. I brought him back to Misty," she explained, figuring Zoe would want to hear about that first. Fortunately, Misty was kind enough to agree to take him in again. "What's happening on your end?"

"It turns out that while we were gone Queenie was attacked by some monster sent by Marie Laveau—who, it turns out, is still alive and immortal. And Madison's missing. Nan called the witch's Council because she thinks she might be dead," Zoe explained.

"What? Shit," Melanie cursed. "Did they ask about where we were?"

"Yeah. I just told them we went out and got separated. I think they're more concerned about Madison right now. " Zoe said. "What do you think happened to her?

"I think Nan might be right," Melanie said, biting her lip. She usually was. "Can you bring me to the Council? I need to tell them something. It might have something to do with Madison's disappearance."

"Sure. Hold on," Zoe said and got up to leave the room.

While she waited to hear from Myrtle, Melanie got out of the car and walked around to the back. She dropped the gun bag on the ground. Then, still holding the phone pressed between her ear and her shoulder, she leaned against the car, put all of her body weight behind it, and pushed until it started rolling. Since she picked a spot with a bit of a slope, once it got going, she let gravity take over and finish the job.

She realized she could hear Myrtle's voice in her ear. "Melanie, dear? Where are you?"

"Oh. Myrtle. I'm in a swamp," Melanie replied as she straightened up and brushed herself off.

"A swamp?" Myrtle asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I had to dump a car," Melanie said. "Am I on speaker?"

"No. Melanie, what in the name of Diane von Furstenberg has happened?" Myrtle asked concerned.

"I'll explain after you put me on speaker," Melanie said. "I think this is something everyone needs to hear."

"Are you sure?" Myrtle asked, concerned. Anything involving a car dump couldn't be strictly legal.

"I'm sure," Melanie said. They needed to know.

Myrtle set the phone down on the table and pressed the button to put her on speaker. "You're on, darling."

Melanie took a deep breath. "Earlier today, when Zoe and I got separated, I was kidnapped by a witch hunter."

Zoe's eyes widened in shock, and Cordelia gasped and put one hand on the younger witch's shoulder and held the other over her mouth.

"He grabbed me and injected me with something before I knew he was there," Melanie explained. "When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in an abandoned house in the Ninth Ward. I tried to use my powers to save myself, but nothing happened. The witch hunter then revealed that he had dosed me with a mix of drugs that can suppress a witch's powers."

Fiona's expression hardened and Myrtle straightened up in her chair, leaning closer to the phone. Quentin's cigarette ash fell on the table as he stared at the phone, stunned. A witch hunter who knew how to suppress their powers? They had never heard of such a thing before. It could be their undoing. This was crucial information of the highest importance.

Pembroke opened her mouth to speak. "H—"

"Let her finish," Myrtle said, cutting her off.

"I don't know what was in it. I didn't get the chance to ask. And I doubt he would have told me. But I do know the effects are only temporary," Melanie continued. "Fortunately, he was acting on his own. And he happened to be someone I knew from foster care. So instead of killing me right away, he wasted enough time taunting me for my powers to come back. Once my powers returned, I was able to defeat him. I burned the house down along with him. And I escaped in his car. He nicked my ear with a bullet, so I dumped the car because my blood got on the seat. It's at the bottom of a swamp now." She left out the details about Kyle and Misty in order to protect them. She didn't want them getting dragged any further into this incident than necessary. "I kept his gun bag, though. So we might be able to use his weapons to trace any known associates he might have. There's also a small, locked box that looks like it might contain more of the drug." Again, there was silence on the other end of the phone. And then laughter.

"Well, hot damn, Delia," Fiona said, taking a drag on her cigarette. "It looks like one of your students might actually be useful." She liked a witch who knew how to fight.

"Well done, darling," Myrtle told Melanie, while Cordelia breathed a sigh of relief. It was terrible that she had to go through that, but at least she was all right. Not only that, but she had managed to come out of it on top. The fire should be enough to destroy any DNA evidence. And anything that got lost at the bottom of a Louisiana swamp stayed lost. They wouldn't even have to send a team to clean up after her. "Do you want us to send someone for you?"

"No. I'm all right." Melanie said. "I've found a safe place to stay. I'll come back to the school once I've had a chance to rest."

"Very well," Myrtle said. "We hope to see you soon. Take care, dear."

Melanie hung up her phone and put it back in her purse. She picked up the gun bag, swung it over her shoulder along with her purse, and started making her way back to Misty's cabin.

Myrtle ended the call on her side too and returned Zoe's phone to her. "Thank you, dear. You can go now." Zoe took it and glanced between the eccentric redhead and Cordelia. After hearing everything that Melanie had been through, she felt incredibly guilty for leaving her and not saying something sooner. One wrong move and she could have died. Cordelia gave Zoe a small, reassuring smile and gently ushered her from the room.

"Well, I guess that answers your questions about Madison," Fiona said, lounging in her seat. "The poor girl must have run into a witch hunter."

Myrtle frowned. "I disagree. Melanie and Madison went missing from different locations at different times. And Melanie's abductor was working alone. Madison's case is clearly different. But I can see why you would like us to think that. It would be a most convenient answer, wouldn't it? You must think you're very clever."

"I do. I do think I'm very clever," Fiona said coolly. "I am, after all, the Supreme."

"Sadly, you are. Though given the state of this coven and this school, one could be forgiven for thinking we've been without a Supreme for the past forty years," Myrtle retorted.

Fiona took a drag on her cigarette. "If you don't like the way I run things, take it up with the Council."

"But that's just it: you don't run things," Myrtle said, standing, "you run off." She walked around from behind the table. "You were absent from last year's Summit Gathering, three winter petitions remain unsigned and you've failed to appoint a new Chancellor in over a decade."

"Has it been that long?" Fiona asked coyly

"The role of Supreme is more than a figurehead," Myrtle continued, moving closer to Fiona to circle around her. "You must be present for the betterment of our people, not just off jet-setting around the globe to sate your vulgar, licentious appetites."

"You go!" Quentin cheered.

"What's your point, Myrt?" Fiona asked, wishing she would get to it.

"Why now, Fiona?" Myrtle asked. "Why come back now?"

"I'm sorry," Fiona said. "I'm either confused or really bored, but… am I a rotten Supreme because I stayed away or… because I came back?"

"This is the second time while you were under this roof that witch has gone missing from this place. And in both instances, you were the last one to see either one of them alive," Myrtle reminded her. She hadn't forgotten the suspicious circumstances behind Anna Leigh's death back in 1971, when she and Fiona were still attending school here. They never found the previous Supreme's body, but Myrtle knew Fiona was the one responsible. No one else had wanted to believe it, but she knew. Unfortunately, her attempt to bring the truth to light had ended in failure. Before the truth spell she cast on Spalding's tongue could be put to good use in a closed session with the Council, the man's tongue had been cut out. And, once again, Fiona had been there. "The time has come for you to pay for every crime you've committed."

"I'm innocent until proven guilty," Fiona reminded her. "And so far, you have not proven one goddamn thing."

Myrtle stopped pacing the room and looked at her. "The Council reminds you, no witch has been tried, convicted, and burned at the stake since 1926. And on a personal note, I'd like to add I've got a book of matches in my pocket, Fiona, and I'm just dying to light this fire." Pembroke stopped typing. "Leave it in!" Myrtle told her. She wanted everything on the record. Cordelia shifted a little uncomfortably in her chair near the door at the back of the room. She had never liked watching Myrtle and her mother fight.

"I'd like to call our final witness, Spalding" Myrtle said, picking up where she had left off. The butler tensed. He had just finished pouring Fiona another cup of tea. "Stand before us," she ordered. Spalding quietly set the teapot down on the small table beside Fiona's chair and stepped forward to face the council. Myrtle noted with satisfaction that Fiona finally looked slightly nervous. "Forty years ago, our Supreme disappeared. Shortly thereafter, you were mutilated. Some call it coincidence, others call it mystery. As to me, I can't imagine living under the same roof as the monster who dismembered me," Myrtle told him looking at Fiona, "making her breakfast, pouring her tea. But you have nothing to be afraid of now." She looked back at the butler. She retrieved a small notebook and a pen and placed it on the table before him. "Justice is so near. All you have to do is write the name of the witch who is responsible for severing your tongue." Spalding approached the table and picked up the pen. He started writing. Myrtle watched confidently while Fiona tried not to look nervous. At long last, after all these years, victory was so near she could taste it. Spalding finished writing, tore the sheet of paper from the notebook, and handed it to her. Cordelia stood up. The air was thick with anticipation. Myrtle unfolded the piece of paper. Written on it was a name she did not expect. Her own.

What Myrtle didn't know what that Spalding had overheard her talking about the hex that she had placed on his tongue. Fiona was not the one who mutilated the butler. It was Spalding himself. Feeling he had no other choice, in order to protect Fiona, he cut out his own tongue to prevent himself from confessing the truth of what he had seen the night she murdered her predecessor. Because he was in love with her.

"This will not stand!" Myrtle screamed in anger. She advanced upon Fiona, shaking the deceptive note with fury as she showed it to her. It was Fiona's name that should be on it. "You killed Anna Leigh because she was the last Supreme! And you killed an innocent girl because she was the next Supreme! You got away with it!" She spun around and marched back to the table to slam the note down in front of her colleagues. "She keeps getting away with it!"

"You're wrong," Cordelia said, speaking up as she came to stand beside her mother. "You think my mother killed Madison Montgomery so she could remain the Supreme?"

"Yes! You're blind to the ways of your mother, chicky!" Myrtle yelled. "You always have been!"

"Madison wasn't the next Supreme," Cordelia stated calmly with absolute certainty. Fiona felt her mouth go dry. "The hallmark of any rising Supreme is glowing, radiant health. Madison had a heart murmur. She kept it monitored, she kept it secret. So I'm sorry, Myrtle. For forty years, you've been barking up the wrong tree. My mother is the Supreme for a reason."

"Hear, hear," Quentin said.

Fiona sat in silence as Cordelia's words sank in. She had killed the wrong girl. The next Supreme was still out there.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: Thank you to those of you who commented for your input on what the pairing should be. It really helped me make a decision. If you're enjoying the story, please review. Not to sound needy, but it really helps boost my motivation and self-esteem as a writer. ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Burn, Witch. Burn!**

* * *

Melanie could hear Stevie Nicks singing _Landslide_ as she approached Misty's cabin. She must have returned just in time for dinner, because Misty was already setting the table with plates of salad and noodles mixed with vegetables. Melanie wondered how she had managed to get her hands on pasta in the middle of a swamp. She decided Misty must have taken a bus into town like she planned to do later.

Misty smiled when she saw her standing in the doorway. "Oh, good. I was about to go look for you." Kyle, who had been sitting on the floor near the radio, immediately perked upon realizing that she had returned.

"Sorry. I had to make a call, so it took longer than expected," Melanie said. "I hate to ask, but would you mind if I slept on your couch tonight? It's later and darker than I thought it would be." And she really didn't want to be trekking through the swamp at night all by herself. The last thing she needed was to get lost or fall in some pit or get bitten by a poisonous snake.

"Of course you can!" Misty said, thrilled that she wanted to stay longer. "It'll be just like a sleepover."

"Thanks," Melanie said. She sent a quick text to Cordelia to let her know that she wouldn't be back until the next morning.

Nan struck a match and lit another candle for the small memorial altar that she had set up for Madison. The Council had retired to their hotel rooms for the evening, and Fiona and Cordelia had gone out. So it was just the three remaining students, the butler, and the maid left in the house.

"You're being morbid," Zoe told her. "Madison's not dead."

"Then why can't I hear her?" Nan asked.

"Maybe she found a way to keep you out of her head. I know I've been trying," Queenie said, lying on one of the beds in the room with a cup of another one of Cordelia's magic smoothies in her hand.

"No. She passed." Nan insisted.

"We should be out looking for her," Zoe said. She didn't want to make the same mistake she made with Melanie. She nearly died, and all because she had been too scared to stick around when her friend needed her.

"Fiona told us to stay inside," Queenie reminded her.

Advice Fiona herself had ignored in order to take her daughter out for some drinks. "Enough rosé. Let's get you a proper drink," Fiona told Cordelia. "Bartender, bring this lady a Maker's neat."

"You'll make a bad girl of me yet," Cordelia said as her new drink was poured and served.

"Well, Christ knows, somebody's got to, darling," Fiona said. Cordelia laughed and picked up her drink. "Here, cheers." The two witches tapped their glasses together before taking a drink.

"Hmm. Ooh," Cordelia said, setting her glass back down on the bar. She felt the effects of the strong whiskey immediately. It burned her throat on the way down and made her insides tingle and feel warm. "Okay…"

"What?" Fiona asked.

"Let's play a game," Cordelia suggested. Fiona laughed. "We each ask each other three questions, and we swear to answer them honestly."

"Is your seatbelt fastened?" Fiona asked.

Cordelia smiled. "Nice and tight." Fiona gestured for her to start. "Why do you hate Hank? Are you attracted to him?"

"Ugh! Jesus," Fiona said, grimacing. She set her drink down and turned back to her daughter. "Because, Delia, he reeks of bullshit. And I don't understand how you cannot see that."

Cordelia took another swig of her drink. "Number two. And no lying. Did you kill Madison?"

"No. I did not kill Madison," Fiona said, lying through her teeth so convincingly that it looked and sounded like the truth. "My turn. Who do you believe is the next Supreme?"

"No, no, no, no, no, it's still my turn," Cordelia reminded her.

"Yeah? Well, your questions are boring," Fiona said. "So, answer my question. Who do you think is my replacement?"

"You're obsessed, aren't you?" Cordelia asked. Was that why she had come to New Orleans? "Why? You feel your powers weakening? Hmm?" Her mother looked slightly sullen as she picked up her drink again. "Keep these coming, mister man," Cordelia told the bartender with a smile. She liked the way the whisky made her feel.

She did not like how it came back up again. After a few more drinks, Cordelia found herself retching her guts out in the ladies room. When her body finished purging itself, she left the stall and went over to the sink to wash her hands and wipe her mouth off. She looked up at the large mirror above the sink and saw a figure in a black cloak come out of another stall behind her and move towards the sink. Their face was obscured by the hood they wore pulled over their head. She thought it must be a costume for Halloween. Nothing particularly ominous about that. She was wrong. The moment the stranger was at her side, they threw a cup of clear liquid at her face. Cordelia screamed. The burning pain spread through her skin and eyes immediately. It was so agonizing that it was a miracle she was able to remain standing. Her hands instinctively flew up to her face, but she had to stop herself from touching it. Thanks to her background in potions and powders, Cordelia knew chemistry. This must be an acid. She fumbled around blindly until she found a faucet, turned it on and attempted to flush the burning liquid from her face and eyes with water.

Zoe and Nan had gone downstairs to get some candy from a bowl on a foyer table near the front door while Delphine was busy answering the door and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters from another.

"Hands off," Delphine told the children when they all rushed to grab something from the bowl in her hands. "I decide what y'all deserve. There you go." She gave each of them one piece of candy. "You don't get any," she told the young man standing behind them.

"No. I-I'm the neighbor next door," he said as she moved to close the door. "I came to drop off these?" It was then that she noticed he had a plastic container of cookies in his hands.

"Oh." Delphine said and stepped aside, deciding to let him in.

Nan smiled when she saw who it was. "Are those for Madison?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer, wanting to hear him say it out loud.

"Actually, these cookies are for you," Luke told her.

Nan gasped and beamed with happiness. "For me?"

"I wanted to pay you back for that delicious cake you brought over," he said, handing the cookies to her with a smile. Luke, Nan, and Zoe all looked at the door when someone started banging loudly on it from the outside. Delphine walked back into the foyer to answer it and grabbed the bowl of candy. What she saw when she opened that door made her immortal heart stop and her blood run cold. The three rotting young women standing before her may have been desiccated with decay and ravaged by time, but she would know them anywhere. A mother never forgets the faces of her own daughters. The candy bowl slipped from Delphine's hands. The sound of the glass crashing and shattering on the floor snapped her out of her terror induced shock. A whimper of grief escaped her lips as she slammed the door shut. The banging began again. Outside the school, more walking corpses trickled in through the gates.

Delphine backed away from the door. "It's too late now, even to light the bonfires of protection." She turned to face the girls and Luke. "All hell has opened up on our doorstep."

"You guys," Queenie called out to them from the stairs, "did you get a load of what's going on outside?"

Fiona looked up as an agony filled scream pierced through the air in the bar. She knew that voice. "Move!" she shouted, pushing her way through the crowd till she reached her daughter, who was doubled over in pain, clutching her face in her hands. "Let me see your face!"

"It's burning!" Cordelia screamed. Flushing her face with water hadn't done a thing to relieve her suffering.

"Oh, God!" Fiona cried while her daughter continued to wail miserably. "Someone call an ambulance! My God! Somebody help us!" Even in her desperation, she did not fail to notice a figure cloaked in black sneaking out the door while everyone else in the bar stood around gawking. "Let me see it!" she told Cordelia, pulling her hands away. She screamed in horror when she saw the extent of the damage. The once smooth flesh around Cordelia's eyes had been corroded and burned. Pinpricks of blood beaded to the surface as the strong acid continued to eat away at her skin.

"What are they?" Zoe asked as she and the others stared out the windows at the horde gathering outside. The varying level of decay born by the bodies standing in their yard outside looked too real to be makeup. And there was the whisper of a strange energy in the air.

"They're dead," Nan said, making Zoe tear her eyes away from the strange scene to look at her. "I can't hear them." Zoe looked back at the things in the yard. If they really were dead, then they were exactly what they looked like. Zombies.

Zoe pulled Queenie away from the window when she leaned closer to get a better look and pulled the curtains shut. "Everyone get away from the windows. Come on!" she said forcefully when they hesitated. "And kill the lights." She started flipping all the switches she passed off as they moved through the house.

"Um, I think they know we're home," Queenie said.

"Close the drapes," Zoe said. Nan hurried to carry out the order. Zoe pulled out her phone and started dialing. "We need Fiona."

"You guys, it's a prank," Luke said, blissfully ignorant of the danger the creatures outside posed. In his mind they couldn't be anything more than people in costumes. "They're not even doing anything." Delphine sat herself down on the couch. Her mind was still reeling from the shock of seeing her long-dead daughters again.

Zoe groaned. "It's her voicemail." She hung up and looked back at the others. "I don't know. Maybe we should call the cops."

"No, Fiona wouldn't like it, and I'd be more scared of her than those things outside," Queenie said as the witches entered the kitchen with Luke. "Oh, shit," she cursed when the pain from moving around with her injury caught up to her and she had to sit down.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," Nan said, putting her hands on her shoulders.

Queenie shrugged her off. "Tell that to the army of darkness."

"This is crazy," Luke said, heading for the back door. "I can handle a bunch of neighborhood kids."

The girls' eyes widened when it closed behind him. One collective thought rand through their minds when they realized he had gone outside with those things. _Shit._ Nan ran to one of the windows and watched anxiously as Luke walked around to confront the zombies.

"Okay, you've had your fun," Luke told them. "You spooked a household of girls. Time to go." He stopped in front of the nearest prankster, who was dressed like an indian. "Come on, buddy," he said, giving him a push on the shoulder. "Hey." He was surprised by how far the guy turned because of his loose posture, making it look like he had used more force than he actually had. And then the guy just stood there, staring at him. Luke laughed. "Okay." He moved on to try to talk to the others. "Come on, get moving." He looked over when he heard the metal hinges on the front gate whine. Two boys around his age, who were dressed as much less convincing zombies, entered the yard.

"Dude, your prosthetics look awesome," the shorter boy told the other zombies. There was no reaction. Luke walked over to another one of the pranksters and snapped his fingers in the man's face. Again, no reaction. And looking down at the man's gut, he saw how disgustingly realistic the protruding intestines looked. And smelled. It was unnerving that even the stench seemed authentic. "Oh, man," the taller of the other two boys said while he and his friend walked around, admiring each zombie costume in turn. Luke's eyes darted from one figure to the next. He was starting to get the feeling that something wasn't right.

All of a sudden, every single zombie raised their head. Luke took a step back. Some of them had started growling. The zombie wearing a seventies leisure suite, standing closest to the short boy, suddenly snapped its head to the side and grabbed the teen with a snarl. Another zombie reached out to grab the boy. Luke watched while the boy began to struggle against them. The boy screamed as another zombie came running at him with an axe. Luke's confusion turned to horror as the axe was swung. The boy's stomach was split open, and as he fell to the ground, more zombies swarmed around him, dragging out his intestines and other organs. They devoured the bloody flesh greedily like rabid animals. And then, the zombie holding the axe turned and looked at straight at Luke. As the Zombie advanced toward him, Luke began to panic. He turned and tried to run. He didn't noticed that the indian zombie that had been standing off to the side behind him has also moved in for the kill until it was too late. Luke screamed in pain when the indian zombie brought the blade of his tomahawk down between his shoulder blades.

"Luke!" Nan cried out in alarm as she watched him fall.

"Come on," Zoe said, pulling her away from the window to close the shutters.

"We got to help Luke!" Nan cried anxiously.

"The front door's no good," Queenie said, having just come back from checking. "We're completely surrounded."

Zoe glanced around. They were too vulnerable here. "If we can't go down, we'll go up. We have to get away from all these windows." She left the kitchen to approach the stairs. "Spalding!" She looked around again when the butler didn't immediately appear on the stairs and saw Delphine heading for the front door. Zoe's eyes widened and she immediately ran to stop her. She slammed her hands against the door just in time, holding it shut, to prevent Delphine from opening it. "Are you crazy?" she asked the woman incredulously.

"My daughters are out there," Delphine sobbed.

"Your daughters are dead! Do you want to be dead, too?" Zoe snapped.

" 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished," Delphine replied. Well, that answered the question about the crazy.

"Come on," Zoe said, guiding her over to the stairs, where Queenie and Spalding were waiting for them. "Queenie, do you think you can make it up to the attic? Spalding's room—We can barricade ourselves inside." Spalding quickly raised his hands and shook his head in protest. "Fine. Then pick a room! Okay? Just get upstairs! Go! Now!" Zoe shouted when they were slow to move. She realized they were missing someone. "Nan?" Zoe said, turning around to look for her. She saw the front door was in the process of swinging shut. Which could only mean one thing. Nan went outside. "Shit!" Zoe cursed, quickly heading for the door. She slammed it the rest of the way shut and locked it to keep the zombies coming up the porch steps out. "Shit!" Zoe cursed again. _Now what?_ she wondered. She ran to one of the windows and peeked out through a gap in the curtains. Nan had somehow managed to make it through the zombies to Luke. They couldn't go back in through the front door, and the back door was too far away for them both to make it with Luke's limp. Zoe watched as Nan helped Luke stand and limp towards Cordelia's car. They made it just in time. But Zoe knew they wouldn't last long once the zombies broke the windows. She knew she had to help them. But how? What would Melanie do? Zoe ran back into the kitchen.

"What are they?" Luke asked Nan as they huddled together in the car, fearing for their lives. "What do they want?"

"Us," Nan answered quietly, sending a chill up his spine. They both jumped when the glass windows started to crack under the zombies' repeated assault.

"No," Luke groaned in despair. He and Nan screamed when the confederate soldier zombie broke the window on the passenger side using the butt of his rifle. A zombie with a hoe broke the back passenger window. The zombies growled menacingly. Nan screamed again and Luke whimpered. The axe zombie let out a guttural groan as it leaned in through the back window and started pawing around for them. Nan screamed and held Luke close as he leaned against her to avoid it and the other zombie reaching for him.

 _Clang. Clang. Clang._ It sounded like someone was hitting something metal. Several zombies paused and looked away in the direction of the loud noise.

"Hey! Get away from there!" Zoe shouted, banging two pots together in an attempt to create a distraction so the others could escape. "Over here, you rotting pieces of shit!" That got the zombies' attention. They all looked up and started limping in her direction. "Come on! Come on!" She started backing up as they drew closer, abandoning the car completely. "That's it. Come on, yeah. Come on, come to mama." Unfortunately, there were more of them than she had realized and they were moving faster than she thought they would. Zoe began to see the flaw in her plan when it occurred to her that she didn't have a weapon to defend herself with. "Oh, shit!" she cursed, ditching the pots to run. She had been trying to draw them away from the house, so the closest thing she could use for shelter was the shed. Zoe sprinted for it, darted inside, and slammed the creaky wooden door shut just in time to avoid being grabbed. She quickly slid the lock's bolt into place and backed away as the zombies started banging on the door. The old thing shook and rattled fiercely under their fists. Zoe stared at it with her back pressed against the wall, terrified that it would give way. She found herself wishing once again that she had Melanie with her. But she wasn't. And Zoe was certain that if Melanie were in her place, she wouldn't give up just because she was alone and trapped. Keeping her eyes on the door, Zoe inched further into the shed. She turned and looked around for something that she could use to defend herself with. And then she saw it. Amidst the rusting antiques and gardening tools Zoe found a cordless chainsaw that ran on gas. It was perfect. And what's more, she discovered there was another way to escape.

Nan and Luke were still in the car. "I think I'm bleeding out," he said.

"I won't let you," Nan said, taking advantage of the opening that Zoe had created for them. She quickly got out of the car and ran around to the passenger's side to pull him out. Luke grunted in pain as he staggered to his feet. The axe zombie turned his head to look at them, and soon all the zombies had their sights set on them. The zombies groaned as they started to pursue the two teens. Nan helped Luke move as fast as he could, but it wasn't enough. He ran out of strength and collapsed to the ground. She tried to pull him back up, but he was too heavy. Nan screamed as the zombies started closing in on them again. Luke was cried out in fear and pain.

"I'm sorry," he told her. She was only out there because of him. She saved him, and now it was his fault that she was she going to die. Nan held onto Luke, preparing themselves for the worst, when they heard the revving of a chainsaw and the head of the zombie in front of them went flying with a spray of blood.

"Get him inside, go!" Zoe yelled, keeping the chainsaw running, as she turned to face the rest of the horde. Nan didn't have to be told twice. Using the chainsaw, Zoe turned the tide against the zombies, cutting down one after another. She could feel their cold blood splattering against her face and clothes while she fought. But she didn't stop. She squinted to see through the blood misting the air as she sawed the last zombie in half from his head to his waist. She didn't let herself relax until his body hit the ground, and she was sure he had stopped twitching. She lowered the chainsaw and let its whirring blades grind down to a halt. That turned out to be a mistake. Zoe was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gasped and raised the chainsaw again when she spun around to discover that she had missed one. As the axe zombie advanced towards her gain, she revved the chainsaw. And then the motor died. Zoe stared at the machine with wide eyes and started backing away, swinging the chainsaw wildly at the zombie while she struggled to get it going again. But it was hopeless. Zoe gasped as she fell on her back. Fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins as she lay on the ground, too terrified to move. The zombie groaned and raised its axe to strike. In that moment, something came over Zoe, and she instinctively raised her right hand before her. The fear was replaced with a sense of power that radiated throughout her entire body. A command fueled with magic left her lips. "Be in your nature." The zombie trembled and fell to the ground. Its body was completely skill. The magic used to animate it had been completely cancelled out. Zoe blinked, panting heavily as she snapped out of her trance. She stared at the defeated zombie lying at her feet, stunned by her newly discovered power.

The sound of raised voices pierced the comfortable darkness Cordelia had been lying in. She began to regain consciousness, to regain a sense of awareness, but her eyes were still closed. Until she felt a rough, familiar hand touch her own and a barrage of images suddenly flooded into her mind's eye. Her eyes shot open and she gasped in horror as she watched hank have passionate sex with another woman. Feeling confused, hurt, and betrayed, she quickly yanked her hand away from his. She stared up at the ceiling with unseeing eyes, struggling to make sense of everything that had just happened. Her mind raced with many thoughts. Why would Hank do something like that to her? Who was that woman? Why did she look familiar? Cordelia wondered why she couldn't see anything. Where was she? Where was her mother?

Melanie shifted on the couch in Misty's dark cabin, trying to find a more comfortable position. Now that she'd had several hours of rest, her body was less desperate for sleep and more aware of the particularly large lump in the cushion that was poking her right in the middle of her back. Melanie groaned softly in annoyance and peeled her eyes open. She sat up to try lying down in the opposite direction. She paused when she realized something wasn't right. She waited for her eyes to adjust better to the lack of light and had a look around. Then she noticed Kyle was gone. He wasn't in the cabin at all. Melanie felt a jolt of panic and quickly pulled her shoes back on before rushing outside to look for him. She stopped short when she spotted him sitting on the ground only a half a yard away from the door with his knees tucked up against his chest and his head tilted back to look up at the sky. Melanie let out a quiet sigh of relief. He must have had trouble sleeping, too. She walked over to him, making a little noise so he wouldn't be startled when she suddenly appeared next to him, and sat down a couple of feet away from him. There was a nice breeze blowing, and the stars were out. Judging by the color of the sky, it was twilight, a few minutes before dawn. For a few minutes, she just sat there with him, enjoying the view while she stared up at the sky with him. She had always liked staring up into the night sky. Especially out in rural places like this, where the city lights didn't interfere with her view of the stars. There was something cleansing about being bathed in moonlight. And seeing those millions and billions of little pinpricks of light in the vast and endless dark blue hanging over her head always gave her a strange sense of empowerment where she felt smaller and bigger all at once. Her little world expanded into an enormous universe where all of her problems seemed to shrink away and everything good inside of her welled up until it threatened to spill out into the rest of the world. In that moment all the pain was gone. She was filled with nothing but hope and wonder. In that moment she was infinite. At least, that's how it usually was. Tonight, she had one too many concerns weighing her down. One of them was sitting right next to her. And she could feel his eyes on her.

"Kyle," she said with her eyes still on the sky, "I think I know why you killed your mother." This made Kyle flinch and he tensed, waiting to hear what she had to say. "I'm sorry I didn't notice it sooner. I should have, but I didn't. Not until it was too late. And because of that, we ended up hurting you again." Kyle continued to stare at her. "Your mother… she did something to you, didn't she?" Tears started to form in Kyle's eyes. A whine escape his lips as he grabbed his hair in his hands and buried his face his knees. He didn't want her to know. He didn't want her to think of him like that. "It's okay. I understand." He shook his head and started rocking back and forth. She didn't understand. She couldn't. No one knew what it was like. How hard it was to live with something like that. "After all, the same thing happened to me." Kyle froze. His eyes widened in shock. Slowly, he raised his head to look at her and saw that she had already turned to look at him. He stared at the beautiful girl next to him, stunned. The expression on her face appeared calm, but there was a pain buried deep inside her eyes. The kind of pain he had only ever seen before while looking into a mirror. "Parents are supposed to protect their children… but sometimes they're the ones we need protecting from. It's only natural to defend yourself when someone's hurting you. Especially when no one else will. My foster father, I trusted him. And he paid me back by doing the same thing to me that your mother did to you. So I killed him. That was how I discovered my powers. I glared at him, and he burst into flames. I just wanted to stop it from happening again." Tears were streaming down Kyle's face as he stared at her. His chest tightened until it hurt. It felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He couldn't believe something like that had happened to her. He didn't want to believe it. He would never want anyone to go through what he did. He wanted to undo everything that man had done to her. He wanted to take it all away from her. But he couldn't. No matter how much he wished it, he couldn't save her anymore than he could have saved himself. "I don't like to talk about it. I'm sure you don't either. But… I just thought you should know… you're not alone, Kyle," she finished, straining to keep her voice steady while she watched him cry. As terrible as it had been for her with Steven, Melanie was certain it must have been even worse for Kyle. After all, Steven had once been a stranger to her. They had only known each other for two years. But Alicia had been his biological mother. His own flesh and blood. They had been together ever since he was born. To be betrayed on such a deep level, that would break anyone. Tentatively, she reached out a hand and gently placed it on his head, stroking her fingers through his tangled, curly hair. Kyle leaned into her touch and somehow or other she ended up with his arms around her waist and his head in her lap.

Melanie started to panic—not because he grabbed her, but because he was crying so hard that his body shook violently with every sob. Her attempt to comfort him seemed to have backfired. Melanie gave herself a mental kick. She knew what a traumatic experience he had been through. She shouldn't have brought it up. Drawing a blank on what she should say to make it better and not knowing what else to do, she let him cling to her and started stroking his hair again. Kyle wasn't just crying for himself. He was crying her share, too. He tightened his grip on her a little more and silently promised that as long as they were together, he would never let anything like that happen to her ever again.

"Fire purges and purifies," Fiona said as she watched Zoe and Nan work together to pile the bodies of the zombies that had attacked them onto the bonfire, "scatters our enemies to the wind. What blows away need not be explained." She had returned in the early hours of the morning to find dismembered corpses strewn across the lawn, Zoe covered in blood, Nan nursing an injured Luke, Spalding out cold at the top of the stairs, and Queenie comforting their immortal maid over the corpse of one of her daughters.

"I think that's the last of them," Zoe announced, wheeling over the last load of miscellaneous body parts.

"This is nasty," Nan said, wrinkling her nose, as she started tossing them into the flames.

"Maybe we should get more cedar chips to mask the smell," Zoe suggested. She watched as Fiona turned her back on them and moved away from the unbearable fumes of burning flesh and hair. "How's Luke?" she asked Nan, keeping her voice low.

"Still asleep in my bed," Nan replied.

"We have to get him out of the house," Zoe said.

"He's not well enough yet," Nan said.

"Well, he can't stay here," Zoe said.

"He can and he will," Fiona said as she turned back to face them, having heard every word of their little argument. "No sense rushing him back to his Holy Roller mother till he recovers. She'd only call the cops anyhow."

"Thank you," Nan said gratefully, dropping the shovel in her hands to run back inside the house to check on him again.

"I like a witch who knows how to fight," Fiona told the remaining girl. "You've done this coven a great service, Zoe, I won't forget it." She nodded her head at the house. "Go on," she said, giving her permission to go back inside. With the girls gone, Fiona stayed by the fire to make sure everything burned up and it didn't spread to the rest of the yard. Madame LaLaurie came outside to join her.

"Those are my daughters," she said, staring into the fire. "The day they were born, I sent such hopes and dreams to heaven. This is how it ends—in flames and decay. They deserved a better mother than I could ever hope to be.

"Yes… I know the feeling," Fiona said, thinking of her own daughter lying in the hospital.

"Perhaps our shared tragedies will… bring us closer together," Delphine said.

"I doubt it," Fiona said coolly. "You are, after all, the maid." The wind stirred with the arrival of the Council. "Time to deal with the rest of the trash, I see."

"Fiona Goode," Pembroke said once they were all seated at the table and ready to begin again, "you stand before this council accused of gross neglect, malfeasance, and a willful disregard for the well-being of this coven. Since you arrived here the house has been under attack from outside forces. A young witch remains missing. The headmistress of this academy—your own daughter—lies blinded in a hospital. Given the seriousness of these events and after careful consideration, it is the grim duty of this council to demand your immediate, unconditional abdication as Supreme of this coven."

"It's nothing personal," Quentin added. Maybe not for him, but Myrtle couldn't deny that she was enjoying watching Fiona squirm. She was still very worried about their poor, dear Cordelia, though. And she would rest easier once she knew little Melanie had returned safely to the school without further incident.

"And given that the new Supreme has not shown herself yet?" Fiona asked.

"Until such time, the coven shall fall under the stewardship of this council," Pembroke replied.

"How convenient," Fiona said, looking at Myrtle. "She couldn't inherit the Supremacy, so she has enlisted her lapdogs to help steal it."

"I beg your pardon," Myrtle said, offended. She didn't want the Supremacy for herself. She was merely against it being possessed by an ungrateful, poisonous, squanderer like Fiona.

"Oh, yes, you will beg, but you will not be pardoned, Myrtle Snow, not for what you have done," Fiona told her. Quentin and Pembroke turned their heads to look at Myrtle.

"What does she mean?" Quentin asked.

Myrtle had no idea what she was talking about. "It's a trick, a gambit. She's desperate," she told him before standing to face Fiona. "Well, it's not going to work, not this time. This council's decision is unanimous and final. We will not sit here and listen to—"

"You will sit!" Fiona roared, pointing her finger at Myrtle as she forced the other witch to sit back down in her chair.

"Oh," Quentin said.

"And you will listen," Fiona continued, leaning against the table as she faced them. "Now, it's true this coven has been under attack but not from outside—from inside. Our enemy hides in plain sight. Walks freely among us unseen. Our enemy has a face and I have seen this face. This face has a name. Myrtle Snow."

"Outrageous lies," Myrtle protested.

"Did you think that by destroying my daughter, you could destroy me?" Fiona asked her.

"How dare you accuse me of attacking Cordelia?" Myrtle said, standing up again. "I've been more of a mother to that girl than you have ever been." She loved that dear girl as if she were her own daughter. She would never harm her.

"You latched onto my daughter the minute I passed her into your care because you could never have one," Fiona said accusingly.

"I never had children because I dedicated my life to this coven," Myrtle said truthfully and sat back down.

"The love you had for this coven and my daughter has been eclipsed by the hatred you have of me," Fiona said.

"Will you listen to her? Next she'll be accusing me of murdering Madison Montgomery," Myrtle huffed indignantly.

"Well, you were here in New Orleans—at the time of the disappearance, I mean," Fiona said. Myrtle couldn't believe her gall.

"What is she talking about?" Pembroke asked.

Myrtle scoffed. "I told you, she's trying to confuse you."

"You weren't already in town when Madison went missing, were you?" Pembroke asked. "Surely you would have told us that."

"Who is Jennifer Wooley?" Fiona asked, causing Myrtle to look up at her.

"I'm sure I don't know," she said.

"Jennifer Wooley is the Veronica Lake character in the movie _I Married a Witch,_ " Quentin said.

"Jennifer Wooley also happens to be the witless alias Myrtle used as a resident at the Chat Noire Motel. She has been here all these weeks. Planning this coup," Fiona said, holding up her phone to show them evidence of the disturbing collage of photographs of her that Myrtle had pinned to the wall of her motel room, with closed pentagrams and other magical symbols drawn them on with red lipstick. Pembroke took the phone to have a closer look while Quentin glanced at Myrtle in shock.

"She's twisting everything!" Myrtle said. She only came there because she had heard rumors that Fiona was returning, and she wanted to find out what she was up to. She was worried about Cordelia and Melanie and the other students. Those symbols were meant for a protection spell, not a curse. Fiona killed her predecessor, so she knew it wouldn't be a stretch to think she might try to do the same to her successor in order to preserve her own power.

"So, it's true? You've been living here under a false name?" Pembroke asked her.

"She had to be stopped!" Myrtle snapped impatiently, frustrated that Fiona was trying to turn her into a scapegoat for her own crimes.

"Is that a confession?" Pembroke asked.

"What? No!" Myrtle said, appalled. "I confess to nothing."

"I don't need a confession," Fiona said, grabbing one of Myrtle's gloved hands. "You have been caught red-handed."

"You're hurting me!" Myrtle cried when she suddenly felt an intense burning sensation spreading from the tips of her fingers.

"I'll do more than hurt you! I will have justice," Fiona declared, ripping off her glove. Myrtle's eyes widened in shock when she saw the state of her own hand. Its skin, which had been wrinkled but otherwise unblemished, was now painfully burned and damaged. "The same acid that disfigured my daughter did this." Fiona released her injured hand, and Myrtle stared at it in confusion. She didn't understand. She assumed Fiona must have done it somehow when she grabbed her hand. However it happened, this new fabricated evidence was damning.

"Myrtle Snow… have you anything to say in your own defense?" Pembroke asked.

"You know what she is," Myrtle reminded her. "Who would you believe?"

"You give us no choice," Pembroke answered to her dismay. "Burn the witch."

"Seconded." Quentin said. Myrtle was stunned. She couldn't believe how quickly they had turned on her.

"The decision of this council is unanimous and final," Fiona told her.

Myrtle fought to keep her composure, refusing to let them see her any of her fear or despair. "No need to bind me. I shall not resist. Why would I? I've been swimming against the tide my whole life. Look where it got me." She lost the battle when a couple of tears managed to escape her eyes. The hurt she felt from this betrayal was just too much. "I'm used to being an outcast. The freak. Until I found my place in this coven. I thought I'd come home. But I was wrong." She raised her head as she looked up at the treacherous Supreme, the last act of defiance that was left to her. "I go proudly to the flame. Go ahead. Burn me."

"Do you really have to leave?" Misty asked Melanie while she watched her get ready to go, wishing she could stay longer.

"Yes. I have to get back to my school," Melanie said, tucking her hair behind her ears after she finished tying her shoes. "They're expecting me." She looked up at the older girl. "Thanks for everything, Misty. Maybe you could come join us, once we've got everything sorted." Melanie thought she was probably safer staying out here until they had finished settling things with Marie Laveau and solved the matter of Madison's disappearance.

"I'll think about," Misty said with a small smile. "I'm not sure I want to live in the city. Too many people." She was lonely, but after what happened to her the last time she lived in a community of normal humans, she was hesitant to rejoin them.

"Ah. I get what you mean," Melanie said. She didn't much care for people in general either. Her first instinct whenever she saw an animal was to say "hello", while her first instinct when she saw a person was nearly always to avoid eye contact and hope it went away. Melanie grabbed her purse and the gun bag. "Well, then, I guess this is goodbye for now," she said and started to turn away. Kyle grunted worriedly and grabbed her shirt when he realized she was going to leave him again. Melanie stopped and gave him a small smile to show him that everything would be all right and placed one of her hands over his to gently remove it. "Kyle there's something I have to take care of right now. But I'll be back. I promise." It took a while, but eventually, with great reluctance, Kyle released his grip on her shirt and let her walk away. Even though he really wanted her to stay with them, where he knew it was safe.

"It's all right, Kyle," Misty told him, rubbing his back reassuringly as they watched her go. "Melanie keeps her promises, remember?"

After a long hike out of the swamp and several buses, Melanie had finally returned home, only to find the school completely empty. "Hello?" she called out warily, moving carefully through the rooms in search of anything that might indicate where everyone had gone. She didn't find a note or a memo, but at least there were no signs of a struggle. It was around lunchtime. Maybe everyone went out for a change? She was relieved when Spalding finally showed his face. "Where is everyone?" she asked. He looked at her and pointed to the door to indicate that they had gone out. Melanie sighed tiredly. Whatever. All she wanted after her long journey was a sandwich and a long shower. She held out the gun bag. "Can you please put this somewhere safe until they return? It's for the Council." Spalding nodded and took the bag to lock it away until it was needed. After a quick bite to eat, Melanie went to her room and put on some music to listen to while she showered. The first song up was _Right Place, Wrong Time_ by Dr. John.

A gravel pit. That was the answer to Melanie's question. For Myrtle's execution, everyone was driven out to a large gravel pit that was located in a remote area outside the city. Fiona led the macabre procession with Myrtle at her side. They were followed by Quentin and Pembroke, who were followed by Zoe, Nan, and Queenie. Two of the albino bodyguards who had accompanied Myrtle when she came to bring Zoe to the school brought up the rear, carrying a length of rope and a large can of gasoline. They were all dressed in black, except for Myrtle, who was wearing the traditional white robes of the condemned. Her hands had been bound with rope despite her claim that she would not resist the death sentence.

"This is just a joke, right?" Zoe asked Queenie. "We're not actually burning her."

"You don't mess with a Supreme," Queenie replied grimly. The girls stopped along with Fiona and the two remaining members of the Council when they reached the stake. Myrtle continued on with the two bodyguards. She stepped up to the stake and stood with her back against it. They watched while she was tied to it by the bodyguard carrying the rope. Then the other bodyguard doused her from head to toe with the gasoline.

Fiona stepped forward to face her. "Any last words?"

"You're all a bunch of little toads in a pot that Fiona is slowly bringing to a boil. You won't even feel it until it's too late. I'd rather burn than boil," Myrtle said. She was grateful that at least Cordelia and Melanie wouldn't have to watch. Fiona took another step forward and threw her cigarette at her wet robes to start the fire. Myrtle screamed in agony as she was enveloped by an explosion of flames. Zoe stared, horrified, as her screaming continued for several more minutes until it suddenly stopped when the flames flared up, as if in that moment the life had been snuffed out of her. The screaming had stopped, but her body continued to burn. Those screams. The flames. The smell. Zoe knew that she would never forget them. It was a haunting experience that would stay with her for the rest of her life.

"Hey. Where were you?" Melanie asked, looking up from the book she had been reading while lounging on the sofa in the sitting room, when the others finally returned. Quentin and Pembroke had retired to their hotel with the bodyguards to accompany them, so it was just Fiona and the girls again. Melanie noticed that they were all dressed in black again, and they smelled like smoke combined with something else.

"We just came from an execution," Fiona said, surprising her. "There's been a few more developments while you were gone. The others can fill you in. Where's that evidence you said you had from that witch hunter?"

"Spalding has it," Melanie answered. Fiona nodded and stalked off. "So, what happened?" she asked the others.

"Cordelia was attacked. And Myrtle Snow was just burned at the stake for it," Zoe said quietly, sitting down on a chair next to her. "I can't believe they really burned her." She looked up at Melanie and saw that she was staring at the floor in shock. Melanie couldn't believe it. The room was filled with a heavy silence while her brain tried to process the disturbing information it had just received. She just sat there and didn't say a word. It felt like an eternity had passed before she finally spoke.

"How?" Melanie asked in a small voice. "How was Cordelia attacked? Where is she? How serious is it?"

It was Nan who answered. "Someone threw acid in her face and blinded her. But they said she's supposed to be released from the hospital the day after tomorrow."

"And Myrtle?" Melanie asked, keeping her voice steady. "Why would they think it was her?"

"All the evidence was against her," Zoe said. "They caught her red-handed. Apparently she had the same kind of burns on her hand as the ones on Cordelia's face, caused by the same kind of acid. They think she's responsible for Madison going missing, too. I overheard them say she was already here at the time it happened. Myrtle even had a creepy hate wall with vandalized pictures of Fiona in her hotel."

"Why?" Melanie asked.

"They said she wanted to hurt Fiona. That she was trying to frame her," Zoe said.

Melanie continued to stare at the floor. Even after hearing about the evidence, she didn't believe that Myrtle was guilty for a minute. She knew her. Myrtle may have hated Fiona, but she would never have hurt Cordelia. For any reason. "You should all go take a shower and change your clothes. You reek of smoke and death." Without another word, she stood up and walked off, leaving her book behind without bothering to mark her place. She left the house and crossed the yard to the garden shed. She closed the door behind her and screamed. She slammed her fists against the floors and the walls. She started kicking and throwing things. She shattered several pots. She screamed and cried. Two of her most important people had been hurt beyond repair. And she wasn't there for them. Cordelia had been crippled and Myrtle was gone forever. The list of people she allowed herself to care for was extremely limited, so every loss felt deeper and more profound than anyone could have imagined. It was excruciating. As if she was the one being burned alive. She went over the facts and order of events in her mind again and again. Until she came to a terrible conclusion.

When Melanie had calmed down enough to trust herself to leave the shed, she returned to the room she shared with Queenie. She sat on the edge of her bed and waited for Queenie to finish her shower. "Why?" That was the first word out of her mouth when Queenie came out of the bathroom.

"Excuse me?" Queenie said, taken aback.

Melanie's expression hardened. "Myrtle was innocent. She would never hurt Cordelia. The only way that acid could have come into contact with her hand was if someone else put it there. I know what you did Queenie."

Queenie frowned to hide the pang of panic she felt. "Why do you always have to assume the worst about people? What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"

Melanie looked ready to kill. "Because people are the worst. And I'm not stupid. Now tell me why."

Queenie was already feeling unnerved after the burning, so it didn't take much to shake her. "F-Fiona told me to. I couldn't say no. I owed her. She saved my life."

"So you helped her send an innocent woman to her death?" Melanie asked coldly.

"You don't know she was innocent! Why do you care so much?" Queenie asked anxiously, starting to feel afraid. She didn't understand why Melanie was so angry with her. Was she going to tell on her?

"Because she was important to me," Melanie said, glaring her. "She saved my life. And you helped Fiona kill her." She stood up and started pulling her things out of the closet.

"What are you doing?" Queenie asked warily.

"I'm moving to another room. Even if I could forgive you, I know I'll never forget. I can't trust you. I can't even look at you," Melanie said with her back to her while she continued gathering her things. The sense of betrayal was too strong. "If I do, I might kill you." As she spoke, Queenie felt her chest tighten until it hurt and her tears pricked her eyes. But that last statement sent a chill up her spine. She knew Melanie was serious. Queenie had considered her a friend. Now she was afraid of her.

"Are you going to tell?" Queenie asked as her angry roommate moved to leave.

Melanie paused in the doorway. "What good would that do?" she said, still not looking at her. "Turning you in won't bring Myrtle back. We're already down two witches. There's no point thinning the herd any further." With two attacks in two nights, they were clearly being drawn into a war. They needed all hands on deck. Besides, it's not like she could prove anything. Having said her piece, Melanie left the room that she had shared with Queenie for the past year and never looked back.

Queenie exhaled the breath that she had been holding, relieved that Melanie at least wasn't going to rat her out to the Council. But what Melanie had said got to her. Things had gotten out of hand. She had just lost a friend because of it. The guilt was crushing. She decided she needed to talk to Fiona. After a quick peek to make sure she wouldn't run into Melanie, Queenie walked down the hall to Fiona's room and knocked on her door.

"Come in," Fiona said. "Queenie, well, what can I do for you?" she asked when she saw who it was.

Queenie shut the door behind her. "You can answer me a question."

"Yes?" Fiona asked.

Queenie stepped further into the room. "Today… did I help you frame a guilty woman or an innocent one?"

"None of us are innocent. No one," Fiona said, lighting a cigarette.

Queenie didn't think that was much of an answer. "Look. When you came to me, I figured I owed you one 'cause you… you saved my life. But I thought we were gonna oust her, not roast her. And now I can't… I can't close my eyes without seeing her burning body. And the-the smell won't leave my nose. And I just found out Melanie cared about her, I just… I don't think I can do it."

"Sit down," Fiona told her, motioning to the other chair in the room. Queenie did as she asked and took a seat. "Do what Queenie?"

"Live with this," Queenie said. She never thought it would be this bad. She never thought it would make Melanie hate her.

"Now, Queenie," Fiona said, standing up to move closer to her. She couldn't let her get cold feet. It would ruin everything if she decided to spill her guts about this dirty little secret. "I can already sense a change in you. Your mind is getting stronger." She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "You've taken an important first step. A necessary step to fulfill your promise." She began stroking her cheek in a calming and comforting manner. "And under my tutelage, my mentorship, well, you could rise to heights that you dare not even imagine." She gave her a smile and let out a small laugh. "Even as high as the next Supreme." She withdrew her hand and straightened up when Queenie's troubled expression brightened.

"Me? The Supreme." Queenie asked.

"Well, why not?" Fiona said. "I mean… maybe that's what this coven needs. A Supreme of… color."

"Yeah," Queenie said, liking the sound of that. "Why not me, right? I'm as much witch as any of these others."

"More," Fiona said.

"And I am feeling stronger," Queenie admitted, flexing her hand. "More powerful."

"Of course you are," Fiona said, taking her hands to guide her back onto her feet and out of her room. "You have to trust me. Follow my instruction to the letter and you'll be fine."

"Okay," Queenie said, turning around to face her as she started to close the door. "I will." She went back to her room less concerned about her guilt and Melanie with her head filled with dreams of becoming the next Supreme.

Zoe looked up when she caught sight of Melanie moving past her open door carrying an armful of clothing on hangers. She decided to see what she was up to. She followed Melanie into the next room and watched while she dumped her clothes on the bed and then started hanging them up in the closet. "What are you doing?" Zoe asked.

"Switching rooms," Melanie said, staying focused on her task.

"Why? I thought you were supposed to be sharing with Queenie?" Zoe said.

"I don't want to talk about it," Melanie said tensely. "Let's just say Queenie did something I can't forgive and leave it at that."

Zoe really wanted to ask what she did, but decided to give Melanie her privacy for now. "Okay. Need help moving?"

"That would be a big help. It's better if I don't see Queenie right now, for her own safety," Melanie replied.

So Zoe helped Melanie by removing her things from the room she used to share with Queenie, so she could carry them down to her new room. "I forgot to ask, did they ever figure out what happened to Madison?" Melanie asked while they worked.

"No. But everyone else seems to think she's dead," Zoe replied.

"You don't?" Melanie asked.

"I don't know," Zoe said. "But it bothers me."

"Me, too," Melanie agreed. That was a mystery that definitely needed solving. And it would be a welcome distraction from her grief. The two girls decided it was time to open their own investigation into the matter. But it had been a long day. Moving all of Melanie's books had taken hours. They decided to wait for tomorrow to start. Melanie wanted to pay Cordelia a visit while she was still in the hospital, but decided not to. Zoe said she probably didn't know about Myrtle yet, and Melanie didn't want to add to her pain until she had to. "By the way," she said, as she remembered something else that had been bothering her. "What happened to Cordelia's car?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Axeman Cometh**

* * *

Melanie woke up in a cold sweat thanks to the vivid nightmares she'd had all night featuring Myrtle being burned at the stake, leading up to her own execution by fire after she had an argument with Fiona. Her prior experience with setting people on aflame had made the things she saw, heard, and smelled in the dreams seem all too real. After taking a moment to pull herself together and stuff her grief inside a little box, she made herself get out of bed and started the day with a cold shower. Then she arranged her damp hair in a French braid and put on a vintage green velvet dress with long sleeves and a lace collar that came down to her knees, sheer black stockings, and a pair of vintage floral grunge Doc Martin boots. She wore her rings on her fingers and a black velvet choker that had a small gold charm shaped like a heart around her neck. When she finished getting dressed, she searched through her things until she found the most recent collection of makeup samples that Myrtle and Cordelia had encouraged her to try. She stared at them for a moment before walking back into the bathroom to put them on. Melanie usually didn't wear makeup. She hadn't even bothered to put on anything more than a little powder and mascara when she went to that fateful frat party with Madison and Zoe. But Myrtle used to say that makeup was a woman's war paint. And, right now, Melanie felt like she needed some. She carefully applied a nude eyeshadow as a base and blended a darker tan in the crease. Then she used the small brush to blend a burgundy shade around the outer edges of her eyes before applying black eyeliner to her top lid and part of her bottom lid, starting from the outer corner. She smudged the lining a bit for a smokey look and applied black mascara to her lashes. Then she smoothed a little of Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey onto her lips, painted her nails with a quick-drying nail polish in burgundy, and went downstairs to face the day. Her nails dried along the way.

After an awkward breakfast, where Melanie and Queenie made it a point to actively ignore each other, Zoe and Melanie decided to start their investigation by searching through Madison's things for clues. They began with a box filled with miscellaneous items that Madison had kept under her bed. They found a magazine the missing star had kept open on an article about herself and a pair of sunglasses. Zoe put them on and tried mimicking Madison in the mirror. She rolled her eyes at her own impression and took them off. Melanie looked at Zoe and shook her head. She still couldn't believe it. There had been a zombie attack on the school. And she had missed it. She was proud of Zoe for how she fought back. And she was impressed with her new ability. Spell negation was a great power to have. Moving on, they found a pair of spiked rhinestone-covered headphones, a small gun—which was kind of disturbing—and a scarf. The scarf turned out to be wrapped around a small liquor bottle, like the kind they served on planes, because it fell out when Zoe picked it up and rolled across the floor and into the closet. She followed it into the closet to retrieve it, while Melanie kept searching through the box. Zoe paused when she heard a _squeak_ and something made a few of the clothes hangers move. She reached her hands in and pushed them aside.

"Find something?" Melanie asked when she heard the sound of the hangers clacking together and squealing against the metal rod they were on.

"Yeah. There's another door in here," Zoe answered, and Melanie came over to see for herself. "I think it just opened by itself. Must have been a draft." She pulled the door all the way open and crouched down to have a better look inside, using the light built into her phone as a flashlight.

"A secret compartment. Sounds promising," Melanie said, squatting down beside her. She held up her own cell phone to give her more light. "See anything Madison might have hidden in there?"

"No. This stuff is old. It looks like it hasn't been touched in years," Zoe said, shifting a musty old pillow out of the way so she could open a dusty wooden trunk, which contained a variety of odds and ends. "These photographs are ancient." She handed them over to Melanie, who started flipping through them. Melanie frowned when she began to notice a disturbing trend as the years passed. She also noticed something else.

"What's that?" Melanie asked, pointing at the corner of something sticking out of another pillow's case. Zoe set the thick envelope she had in her hand down and turned to pull the item out of the pillowcase. It was a spirit board.

"Well, that's handy," Zoe said, handing it to her. If Madison really was dead, then this thing might prove useful to them.

"Looks like someone wants to talk," Melanie said, examining the board in her hands as if it might hold some kind of secret.

"You don't think it's a coincidence?" Zoe asked.

"Zoe, the thing about coincidence is, the universe is rarely so lazy," Melanie said as her lips curved into a mysterious smile.

"It must be Madison, then. Maybe we can use this to contact her," Zoe suggested, starting to get excited.

"Maybe. Is the planchette in there?" Melanie asked.

"The what?" Zoe asked.

"The thing you use to point to the letters," Melanie clarified.

"Oh. No. I don't think it's in here," Zoe said after searching around for a few minutes.

"Hmm. I guess we'll have to make do with a glass cup, then," Melanie said. "But if we do this, we shouldn't do it on our own. I've never actually used one these before."

"So let's get the others involved. It's about time we all started looking after each other. No one else is." Zoe said, determined. Melanie nodded in agreement. It was time for them to step up. Myrtle, the only truly competent member of the Council was gone, and she didn't know how much Cordelia would still be capable of yet, given her condition.

Zoe got Nan and Queenie to meet them downstairs in the same room the Council held their interviews. The four of them gathered around the table. Melanie laid out the photographs for Nan and Queenie to see while Zoe talked. "A hundred years ago, this academy was packed to capacity. They had bunk beds and slept eight to a room. Now… notice anything?"

"Yeah," Nan said. "Luke's not here. His mom keeps slamming the door on me." She had been in a mood ever since they had to send Luke home.

"Nan, stay with us. Look at the pictures," Zoe told her. "Our numbers have gone down every year for a century straight. Witches are dying. In Salem, there were hundreds of us. Now there's four. Used to be five, until… Madison went missing or dead. And no one in charge has done shit."

"So go to Fiona," Queenie said.

"Last I checked, she was setting witches on fire," Melanie said coolly with her arms crossed, watching as Zoe walked over to the liquor cabinet to retrieve a shot glass and a bottle of absinthe. Queenie shifted uncomfortably.

"Okay. Madison wants us to find her, and we can't afford to lose a single witch if we want to survive," Zoe continued as she uncorked the bottle and poured the first drink, which she handed over to Nan. Nan drank it without question. "From now on… we watch each other's backs." She refilled the glass and set it down before Queenie.

"Look, I've been taking care of myself for a really long time, so I'm not sure I need some white girl sorority sisters to cover my ass. And what is this green shit?" Queenie asked sassily.

"It's not a sorority. It's a coven," Zoe corrected her. "And this is absinthe, drink of the divine. Which we are."

"And what about you?" Queenie asked, glancing at Melanie. "You sure you want me watching your back? I thought you didn't trust me."

"I don't," Melanie replied bluntly, looking directly at the other witch for the first time since she confronted her about her part in Myrtle's death. "But that doesn't mean I don't have respect for your abilities." Queenie stared at her for a moment. Then, she picked up the shot of absinthe and drank it. Zoe filled the glass again and handed it to Melanie, who knocked it back like a pro. Then Zoe refilled the glass and drank the last shot herself.

After that they all moved to the sitting room, where they killed the lights, closed all the curtains, and lit the fireplace. Nan and Queenie seated themselves on the floor when the four of them gathered around the coffee table to use the spirit board. Melanie lit a white candle and placed it on the table before taking a seat across from Zoe. The shot glass they drank the absinthe from made a clinking sound when Zoe planted it on the board. "Where'd you find the spirit board?" Queenie asked.

"More like it found us," Zoe said.

"Do you know what these things do?" Queenie asked her.

"Contact the dead," Zoe answered.

"You don't know shit," Queenie said, pointing a finger at her.

"That's what we have you for," Melanie told her. She knew Queenie had prior experience in this area.

Queenie huffed. "Spirit boards have two stages: contact and release. I saw my grandma use one once. She thought it was cool, too, till a bad spirit came out, burned her house to the ground and took half her face off with it."

"There's four of us," Zoe said. "You want to find Madison? Witch up."

"So, what do we do?" Nan asked.

"Ask the questions. Be polite," Queenie answered. The four of them reached out their hands and each put two fingers on the glass.

Zoe exhaled and took a deep breath before asking the first question. "Are we alone?" For a moment, it seemed like nothing was going to happen. Then, Melanie felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and, very slowly, the glass moved to "no". Nan gasped nervously.

"Did you die here?" Queenie asked. The glass moved to "yes".

"Were you murdered?" Melanie asked. The glass moved a little to the side then returned to its previous position.

"Yes," Zoe read aloud. "Who killed you?" The glass moved to the section of letters to spell something out. It started with the "U", then it moved to "D", then "I", then returned to "D".

"You did." Nan said, interpreting the message. Everyone except Melanie gasped and immediately withdrew their hand. For a moment, she was worried it might be Michael, but she had a very strong feeling that it wasn't and quickly dismissed the idea.

"Is this you, Madison?" Melanie asked. The glass under her fingers moved to "no".

"Who are you?" Zoe asked.

"Does it matter?" Melanie asked, taking her fingers off the glass. If it wasn't Madison, then it was time to stop. "It's not who we…" Their eyes widened when the glass started moving on its own, traveling through the letters again. "A" to "X" to "E" to "M" to "A" to "N".

"Axeman," Queenie said. "Wait, stop. Stop, stop!" She hit the glass and sent it flying off the table.

 _Cordelia's gonna kill us,_ Melanie thought when the antique hit the floor and shattered into tiny pieces. But Queenie was more concerned about the spirit than their teacher.

"If survival is so important to you, you better find out who you're talking to," she told Zoe before blowing out the candle.

"Actually," Melanie said. "I think I might have an idea about that. 'Axeman'. I remember seeing that name my book about early serial killers."

"Seriously?" Queenie asked incredulously. "A serial killer?"

"Why do you have a book about serial killers?" Nan asked.

"Why not?" Melanie said with a small shrug.

"Girl, she has a book about everything," Queenie said.

"Tell me about it," Zoe said, remembering the mountains of books and novels she had helped Melanie move the other day. "So, what did it say, this book?"

"It said The Axeman of New Orleans was a serial killer active in New Orleans and surrounding communities from 1918 to 1919. As his epithet implies, his victims were usually attacked with an axe. In most cases, the back door of a home was smashed, followed by an attack on one or more of the residents. The crimes weren't robberies, and the perpetrator never removed items from his victims' homes. His primary targets were women, but he attacked a few men as well. Criminologists think the Axeman only killed male victims when they obstructed his attempts to murder the women. There were some cases where the woman of the house was murdered but not the man. There's a theory that the killer committed the murders in an attempt to promote jazz music, because of a letter he sent to a newspaper in which he stated that he would spare the lives of those who played jazz in their homes. The Axeman was never caught or identified, and his crime spree stopped as mysteriously as it had started. The murderer's identity remains unknown to this day." Melanie explained. "That's pretty much it. He was only a minor footnote compared to some of the others."

"We can probably find out more if we do an internet search," Zoe said.

"Whatever. As long as it gets us out of this room," Queenie said. It was creepy sitting there with the spirit board with only the flickering light of the fire to illuminate the darkness.

"Is there anyone that doesn't have a website?" Zoe asked as she stared at the macabre webpage on her computer screen. They had decided to continue their research in her room.

"I don't," Nan said, sorting through the contents of the wooden trunk with Melanie after they had pulled it out of the closet.

Queenie looked up from the old diary she was reading. "Did you find anything new?"

"It's pretty much what Melanie said. The Axeman killed eight people, scared the crap out of the city, never got caught," Zoe said. "Listen to this. 'If women will not dance to the sound of my axe, I shall gladly make them dance with the other.' Do you know a saxophone is called an axe?"

"Yes," Melanie answered, flipping through another journal. "That's why people think he was probably a saxophone player."

"So he chopped women up 'cause they wouldn't be his groupies?" Queenie said dubiously.

"Plus the men who protected them," Melanie reminded her.

"We never got to ask about Madison," Zoe said, turning away from her laptop to face them.

"Good," Queenie said. "A spirit'll say anything to get released. They mess with you."

"Is that why he said we killed him?" Zoe asked.

"No. He thinks we're them," Nan said, holding out one of the old class photos.

Zoe crossed the room to have a look. "Class of 1919. The same year the Axeman disappeared."

"Millie says that we have cowered in the shadows long enough. Tonight, we use our power to rid the world of a terrible evil," Melanie read aloud from the journal in her hands.

Queenie started reading one of the entries from Millie's diary. "This jazz killer has killed long enough. This city is done trembling. Tonight it ends." She turned the book around to show them the page it was on.

"Witches killed the Axeman," Zoe said, breaking out in a smile. "If there's even a chance he knows where Madison is, we got to make contact."

"No! No. No way I'm helping you release the Axeman," Queenie said adamantly.

"Nan?" Zoe asked, turning to her next.

"I'm out," Nan said.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me, then," Zoe told Melanie.

"Sorry, Zoe," Melanie said to her dismay. "But messing around with a homicidal ghost is the kind of idea that gives a bad idea the will to live." There was a fine line between bravery and stupidity.

Zoe stared at them in disbelief and scoffed. "You left your lives and came all the way across the country just to puss out now? If this is all the fight we have left in us at the end of our race, witches deserve to die."

"Zoe…" Melanie said, but Zoe wasn't listening anymore. She stormed out of the room in a huff. "Okay. I was going to say there was another way, but I guess she isn't interested."

"What other way?" Queenie asked. Melanie didn't answer. She just stood up and walked out of the room. "Oh, what? So now we're not talking again?"

"She went to get her cards," Nan said.

"Her tarot cards?" Queenie asked. She remembered seeing Melanie use them before to find a few small, lost items. "Madison isn't a ring or a set of keys."

"That's why I wanted to try the spirit board first," Melanie said as she reentered the room with her tarot deck in hand. "I thought we might be able to speak to her directly."

"Yeah, well, we got a psychotic axe murderer instead," Queenie said.

"Which is why we're switching to plan B. Now hush. I need to concentrate," Melanie said as she began shuffling the deck.

Zoe relit the candle and placed another shot glass on the spirit board. She wasn't about to sit around and wait for the others to have a change of heart. If no one else wanted to help, she would do it on her own. She exhaled and asked her first question. "Where's Madison? Tell me and I'll give you what you want." She glanced around when there was no answer. "I know what you like. I can give it to you. Release. Don't you want release?" she asked, adding a seductive lilt to her voice. The glass started moving. "A… T… T… I… C." As soon as she had the answer she needed, Zoe jumped up and left the board to grab a flashlight from the kitchen.

Melanie stared at the cards arranged on the floor in front of her. She had drawn The Empress, The Tower, and Death. That was unusual. The Minor Arcana tarot card meanings revealed events that naturally occurred due to laws of human nature. So, the Minor Arcana highlighted the more practical aspects of life and could refer to current issues that had a temporary or minor influence. Which was why they often turned up in spreads for finding missing objects. The Major Arcana revealed events that would naturally occur due to laws of the Universe. The Major Arcana highlighted the more spiritual aspects of life and could refer to issues that had a more long-term influence. They represented major life-changing events. The Empress turning up was usually a call to connect with your feminine energy or indicated fertility or pregnancy. The Tower meant disaster, upheaval, sudden change, or revelation. Death indicated the ending of a major phase or aspect of your life that could bring about the beginning of something far more valuable and important. But that didn't answer her question about Madison's location. Melanie had read that when a card's usual interpretation told you nothing, that you should just look at the picture and ignore the traditional meanings. So she put aside them aside and focused only on the images on the cards. The main feature of The Empress card was the Empress herself, a full-figured woman with blond hair and a peaceful and calm aura about her. On her head she wore a crown of stars. This was clearly meant to represent Madison the movie star. Death was obvious. It represented her corpse. The Tower. Melanie supposed this card was meant to represent a high place. She blinked. There was a high place they hadn't searched yet. Right there in the house. "She's in the attic!" Melanie said, startling Queenie and Nan when she suddenly jumped to her feet.

Zoe gasped and coughed when she entered the attic and opened the door to Spalding's room. The stench of death and decay and sickly sweet perfume was so dense that it hit her like a wall. The floorboards creaked under her feet as she moved deeper into the dark room. Which was filled wall to wall with creepy antique dolls and doll accessories. The perfume smell was actually the result of the many incense sticks Spalding had left burning in an attempt to mask the smell. Zoe knew she had found what she was looking for when she spotted a wooden trunk big enough to hold a human body. She shoved aside the teddy bears sitting on top of it and lifted the lid. Inside was Madison's rotting corpse. Zoe gasped in horror when her suspicions were confirmed. She started backing away and screamed when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind. She hadn't realized that Spalding was still in the room with her.

Fortunately for Zoe, Melanie and the others were right behind her. The moment she stepped into the room and saw the killing intent in Spalding's eyes, Melanie grabbed the nearest doll and chucked it at his head. Zoe shrieked in surprise when she heard it shatter and was extremely relieved when Spalding loosened his grip on her and fell to the floor. He was out cold.

"Damn," Queenie said, impressed.

"How'd you guys find me?" Zoe asked, stunned.

"Melanie always has a backup plan," Nan said with a grin. "Never doubt that." The girls worked together and tied the unconscious butler up in a chair. Then they removed poor Madison's body from the trunk and laid her out on the bed. They opened a few windows to air the place out so it wouldn't smell so much like death and decay. They didn't have to worry about being heard since Spalding didn't have a tongue to call for help. It was near midnight by the time they had finished, so they decided to leave Spalding's interrogation for the next day and went to bed. They triple checked the knots to make sure he couldn't escape and left the deviant butler in the attic with Madison's corpse.

Melanie made an effort to wake up early the next morning. She braided her air in French pigtails and threw on a vintage silk Japanese souvenir bomber jacket that had pale greyish olive-green sleeves and black body embroidered with cherry blossoms and a dancing skeleton over a faded denim skater dress with short sleeves and black leggings. On her feet she wore burgundy socks and her white converses. She put on makeup and a plastic black 90s style choker and a delicate choker made from a soft-pink metal that had little stars and moon charms hanging from it before rushing downstairs to make breakfast in Spalding's place. She had to do it before Delphine woke up so the maid wouldn't see her. They had prepared a number of excuses in the event that Fiona wanted to know where he was, but she never asked. She was far more concerned about Cordelia's homecoming. Melanie wanted to be there to welcome her back, but since she had other business to attend to, she would have to leave that up to Fiona for the moment. When Fiona went to prepare Cordelia's room for her return, the girls slipped up to the attic.

Cordelia opened the door to her room and moved her cane around to make sure there was nothing in her way while she walked. It was a relief to finally be home. Without the use of her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the sent of roses in the air. "She made it up the stairs on her own," Hank said. He wasn't talking to her, so there was clearly someone else in the room.

"Of course she did. She's tough," Fiona told him. Cordelia stopped. It sounded like her mother was on the other side of where she thought the bed should be.

"She's right here," she said, annoyed. "Why are there roses in here?" she asked, removing her sunglasses.

"Why, I thought you might enjoy them," Fiona said. "They're the very last of your heirlooms."

"Roses pull in love and romance. That's not what I'm looking for right now," Cordelia said. "I need chrysanthemums. All kinds of them, for strength and protection. Did Melanie make it back okay?"

"Yes. She's fine. She's with the other girls right now," Fiona said. Cordelia could hear Hank moving behind her when she started walking again.

"Well, doctor said, uh, bed rest for at least a week, hmm?" he said, quickly catching up to her so she could place his hands on her in an attempt to help her stay steady. Cordelia gasped and shuddered in pain and disgust when she saw the vision of Hank cheating on her with that other woman again. She yanked her hand away. This was why she had avoided touching him the whole way back. "Who is she?" she demanded. "Who is the redhead?"

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, baby," Hank said quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Enough bullshit!" Cordelia snapped. "Anything else you want to tell me now? Because I will see it sooner or later." He was silent. She maneuvered her way over to a chair. "I had to go blind to see things about you I couldn't see before. A bad cosmic joke. It's a different kind of clarity, an absolute clarity I've never had. The images almost vibrate with light."

"Thank Christ she's finally got your number," her mother said.

"She's high as a kite," Hank said defensively. "You know what they gave her before we left the hospital?"

"I'm high all right, but it's not the drugs," Cordelia said, standing up again as she turned to face his general direction, "and rest assured, you will be accountable for every single betrayal, no matter how deep you think your secrets are buried. Now get out of here. Get out!" she shouted when he didn't move. She heard him jump as if she had startled him. Good. He should be scared.

"Baby. Now, you're my… you're my heart," he said, trying to sweet talk his way into forgiveness. Cordelia could feel her anger growing with every word. Then she heard the door slam open.

"I'd get out while you still can, jug head, " Fiona told him. After only a moment's hesitation, Hank finally stomped out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Cordelia breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "I wanted to sever his arms and throw him out the window." She stood up and started unbuttoning her dress. After being stuck in the hospital and having to watch that terrible vision again, she wanted a shower and fresh change of clothes. "I had to stop myself."

"You've been given the Sight," Fiona said, walking over to her side.

"It comes in bits and pieces," Cordelia said.

"It's the greatest gift to have. And the hardest one to live with," Fiona said. Cordelia was surprised when she thought she could hear genuine sympathy in her mother's voice. "Let me help, honey."

Cordelia gasped. The moment her mother placed her hands on her, she saw a vision of Myrtle being burned at the stake. "Oh," she whimpered, horrified and stricken with grief. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What? What? What did you see?" Her mother asked, sounding panicked.

Cordelia shook her head. "Auntie Myrtle." She started crying as she sank back down onto the chair. She couldn't believe it. How could this have happened?

"I wanted to tell you, Delia," Fiona said, "but you were in so much pain, and I didn't want to add to it."

"Burned at the stake," Cordelia said, holding a hand over her aching heart.

"Yes," Fiona said. "For what she did to you, yes."

"No. That cannot be," Cordelia said. "Melanie would tell you the same. Did you ask her? Does she know?" She hadn't seen her in her vision.

"She didn't get back until after it was over. But she knows now," Fiona said. "I suspect the broken pots in the shed were her doing." Cordelia raised her other hand to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"Ah," Cordelia sobbed quietly. She couldn't believe Myrtle was gone. And poor Melanie had been left to deal with this grief on her own.

"I think it's best if I let you be alone for awhile," Fiona said, moving away from her. "I'll ask Delphine to come and check on you."

"Fiona's leaving in a taxi," Queenie announced, turning away from the window to join Zoe, Melanie, and Nan, who were all standing around the captured butler, waiting to get started.

"All right, you twisted, tea-serving necrophiliac," Zoe said as the four them faced the silent butler together. "Time to fess up. You killed Madison." Spalding looked up at her. "What's he thinking?" she asked Nan.

"He's not afraid of children," Nan said.

Queenie chuckled darkly and cracked her knuckles. "Really?"

"Yeah. We all know exactly how tough he is," Zoe said mockingly. Melanie uncrossed her arms and ripped open his shirt. Zoe picked up the spatula that they had left to heat up on Spalding's hotplate. "Here's how this works, asshole. We ask the questions, you think the answers, she reads you mind," she explained, pointing at Nan with the red-hot spatula.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Melanie told him. She wasn't particularly thrilled about the idea of torturing someone for information, but he did have Madison's body in his trunk. He had to know something. Frankly, she was very disappointed in him, but in light of his years of service to the coven, she thought they should at least give him a chance to confess freely before trying to force it out of him. "I suggest you cooperate."

Spalding responded by shooting them a glare of contempt and hissing at them. His position on the matter was clear.

"Guess it's the hard way," Zoe said, pressing the burning spatula against his bare chest. Spalding gasped and moaned in pain as the hot metal seared his sizzling flesh. Melanie crossed her arms again. Nan listened carefully to his thoughts, waiting to hear something important. Zoe removed the spatula and put it back on the burner.

Queenie chuckled and leaned in closer to taunt him. "Fiona's not hear to help you now, riffraff. Best be straight."

"You killed Madison, didn't you?" Zoe asked again. They watched as Spalding blinked and raised his head slightly.

"Yes," Nan said, telling them the answer he had just thought.

"Why?" Zoe asked. Spalding stared at her.

"Sex," Nan said. Queenie and Zoe groaned in disgust while Melanie furrowed her brow and frowned.

"Was she your first?" Zoe asked. Whatever Spalding was thinking, he appeared to be really savoring it. She gave his foot a kick when the silence dragged on.

"His first. Yes," Nan said, looking grossed out. Melanie felt sorry for her for having to hear whatever nasty and slimly thoughts were wriggling around inside the creepy butler's brain. Nan suddenly looked back at him. Spalding glanced around at all of the girls while he continued to think. They didn't like the smug expression on his face.

Queenie gave him another kick. "What's he saying?"

"That we can't do shit," Nan said.

"I can," Queenie said. She grabbed the spatula and held it inches away from his face, letting it hover threateningly over the butler so he could feel its heat before slapping it against her own face. The same spot on Spalding's face started sizzling and burning, and the butler squeezed his eyes shut and moaned in agony until his body went limp and he lost consciousness from the immense pain. Queenie laughed.

"That's enough," Zoe said, taking the spatula back.

"Fine," Queenie said. "We'll wait till he wakes up to kill him." She gasped and loomed menacingly over the unconscious butler. "I want him to feel it." Melanie and Zoe stared at him, deep in thought.

"We're not going to kill him," Melanie said. "I don't think he really killed Madison." Queenie and Nan looked at her in surprise.

"I agree," Zoe said.

"He admitted it," Nan said. "I read his mind."

"He grew up in a house full of witches," Melanie reminded her.

"And he knows how to keep secrets," Zoe added. "Bet he's learned a trick or two."

"I…" Nan said, shaking her head. Well, if that was true, then what was the point of all this?

"So if he didn't kill her, who did?" Queenie asked.

"That's simple," Melanie said. "Who would he go though this much trouble to protect?" Her money was on Fiona. She wouldn't have bothered to frame Myrtle unless she had been right about her.

Kyle sat on a bench outside while Misty tended her garden. The insects were singing, and she was humming. He watched while she watered the fresh mound of dirt that hid the strange woman she had brought back with her after suddenly wandering off the previous day. The woman beneath the soil was recuperating from the terrible burns that covered her from head to toe. The only part of her that was still visible was her blackened nose, which Misty had left uncovered so she could breath. The woman pushed her hand out from under the dirt to feel the cool water Misty was sprinkling over her dirt. "You like my swamp water, don't you?" Misty asked the woman. Curious, Kyle got up and wandered over to have a closer look. Misty squatted down and patted the dirt, smoothing it out, when the injured woman tried moving the rest of her arm. "Got to have patience. Won't be long now," she told the woman, gasping when she smelled something ripe. "Oh." She looked at Kyle, who was leaning over her to look at the latest addition to their little group, and realized it was him. "You need a bath."

She took him inside, filled the tub with water, and helped him strip so she could bathe him. Stevie was singing _Leather and Lace_ by the time she got him in the tub. Kyle moaned and the water splashed whenever he moved around. She squeezed the sponge out and filled it with fresh water. "Ooh," Misty said softly when he banged against the tub while she wiped him. She smiled. He was acting like a big kid. What was it with boys and baths? "You smell like a pack of pole cats." Kyle groaned and tried to lean away from her, but she had a firm grip on his arm. He moaned and shifted around again. He knew he needed to get clean, but he still wasn't comfortable being touched while he was naked. It was embarrassing being bathed like this. He yelled and jumped away from her, startled, when she tried to wash his you-know-what. He moaned anxiously while he curled up against the side of the tub, clutching it tightly in an attempt to feel safe and block any further access to that part of him. "Hey. Hey," Misty said, trying to get him to calm down. "Oh, for Christ's sake, Kyle. It's just me." She tried to keep washing him, but Kyle had had enough. He tried to move away from her again and moaned in distress when she grabbed him. "Shh, shh, shh. Okay. Come on," she said, taking the hint that he had endured all that he could for now. Kyle covered himself with his hands while she helped him stand. "All clean." She grabbed the pink towel and tucked it under her arms like an apron as she stood before him with her hands out in front of her.

It was pose Kyle was all too familiar with. Suddenly, he was back in his bathroom at his house in the Ninth Ward, and it wasn't Misty standing in front of him, it was his mother. Fear, guilt, and pain shot through Kyle as the memories of traumatic abuse he had suffered at her hands came rushing back. He shouted in fright and swatted away the hands that were reaching for him. He jumped out of the tub and ran away from her, stopping to lean against the stove. "No!" he screamed.

"Kyle," Misty said gently, wondering what was wrong. "Kyle, it's okay."

Kyle shouted again. It wasn't okay! He couldn't take it anymore. He was tired and frustrated. He was sick of not being able to say and do what he wanted. He wanted Melanie. He grabbed the chair next to him and slammed it against the floor with enough force to break it apart.

"Hey! You stop that!" Misty yelled at him as he continued to yell and beat his fist against her floor. "Stop that!" Kyle shouted at her again. "You don't want to piss me off!" she said sternly. Kyle yelled, half screaming, and ran over to her dresser. He grabbed a glass jar and threw it at the wall, shattering it against one of her posters of Stevie. Misty tried to stop him when he came lumbering in her direction next, but he pushed straight past her and threw everything on her little coffee table in front of the sofa aside with a mighty sweep of his arms. "Kyle!" He yelled again and wailed incoherently at her as she put her hands on the wild boy and grabbed at him until she had a purchase on the sides of his head. "Hey, what is wrong with you?" Kyle shouted and pushed Misty away, breaking free from her grip. "It's okay…" Misty's heart caught in her throat when he reached for her radio/8-Track player. Stevie. "No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no!" she shouted desperately as he raised it high above his head, flinching when he slammed it against the floor. "No!" she screamed when the music died, and he kept beating Stevie into the floor over and over again. She rushed over to push him away, sobbing. "Why would you do that?" she asked, feeling crushed and betrayed. She fell to her knees on the floor as she tried to gather up what was left of her Stevie. "Why… You… Wh…" It was only now, now that he had hurt her beyond repair, and he could see her crying that Kyle suddenly calmed down and began to realize what he had done. "You're just a big ol' monster," she cried, panting, as she held onto the shattered remains of her music and sobbed.

Kyle looked up when heard the floorboards creak. His heart leapt when he saw that it was Zoe and Melanie entering the cabin.

"Wow…" Melanie said, taking in the bizarre scene before them with wide eyes as she crept forward carefully over the broken objects littering the floor alongside Zoe. Whatever she had been expecting to find upon her return, this wasn't it. Why on earth was Kyle naked? She fought hard against the blush threatening to color her cheeks as she quickly looked up at his face in order to raise her line of sight to a safer height.

"Oh, my God," Zoe said equally, shocked. Kyle cried out and launched himself at them, nearly knocking Melanie over when he ran into her. He immediately threw his arms around her waist, and she patted his shoulders and head awkwardly in an attempt to comfort the distraught naked boy while he clung to her. Zoe was a little hurt that he hadn't run to her.

"Get him out of here," Misty said, shaking her head with tears in her eyes. "He broke Stevie."

"We're taking you both out of here," Zoe said, watching while Melanie stroked Kyle's tangled hair. Misty turned and looked up at them in surprise. "We need your help."

Once they had managed to get Kyle dressed again, Zoe and Melanie took him and Misty back to the school with them. To Zoe's annoyance, Kyle refused to let go of Melanie for more than a few minutes at the time, so he ended up sitting in the backseat with her again. Only, this time, it bothered her more when she saw the way he was clinging to her in the rearview mirror, with his head on her shoulder, and his arms around her. She wondered what had happened between them while they were together at Misty's without her. Zoe shook her head to clear her mind. There was no point thinking about that now. They had bigger fish to fry. When they reached the school, Zoe and Melanie snuck Misty and Kyle into the greenhouse.

"You sure this is necessary?" Melanie asked while she helped Zoe chain Kyle up to one of the sturdy support beams with some old shackles and chains they had lying around. Despite the major fit he just threw, Kyle hadn't actually hurt anyone again.

"Yes. Unless you want all your plants and Cordelia's little lab to end up like Misty's cabin," Zoe said, moving Kyle's hand back when he reached for Melanie's braid.

"Okay. Point taken," Melanie said, clicking the lock shut. Kyle grunted and pulled against the chain. He started to panic and moaned anxiously when he realized he couldn't move.

"It's okay," Zoe said gently. "It's okay. You're okay."

"No one's going to hurt you," Melanie reassured him. "You're going to be okay. We'll be right over there." Zoe sighed and walked away, feeling irritated that he seemed to respond more to Melanie's words than hers. His moans grew quieter, and he leaned his head against hers for a moment before finally letting her move away.

"He likes you," Misty told Melanie with a smile. "You two belong together." Melanie found herself fighting a blush again. It was Zoe Kyle liked. He was probably just clinging to her more because it had been a while since they last saw each other. She thought Kyle probably just saw her as a friend or something similar.

"Not likely. He murdered his mother," Zoe said as she turned to pull back the covering that they had placed over Madison after laying her out on the large potting table.

"It was self-defense, Zoe," Melanie said calmly.

"Whatever. What can you do?" Zoe asked Misty, deciding she'd rather focus on Madison. Misty walked around the table to examine the corpse. Madison's skin was flaking and breaking down all over, and there were dark circles under her eyes that made her look like a panda. Misty leaned down and inhaled. Then she held her ear close to her abdomen.

"I can help you dig a hole," Misty told them. Melanie frowned. She had thought she might say that after seeing the maggots in Madison's arm. "She's already rotting. Plus, she's missing an arm."

"We have it," Zoe said, pulling back the covering over the arm, which was lying on the table next to the rest of Madison. "I can sew it back on like I did with Kyle."

"Have you seen his scar?" Misty asked. Zoe and Melanie glanced at Kyle, who tilted his head slightly as he stared back at them, watching the strange scene unfolding before him with curiosity. "You're not so hot with a needle and thread. Come on," she said, motioning for them to follow her. We'll find a soft spot in the yard."

"No," Zoe said firmly. "You have the power of resurgence. You have to bring her back." Misty walked back to the table and circled around the younger witches while trying to suppress a smirk. Melanie smiled slightly when she pulled out a jar of her swamp mud and set it on the edge of the table.

"Give me some of that mud," Misty said as she moved into position to get to work on Madison. Melanie unscrewed the top of the jar, while Misty moved Madison's arm and made sure it was lined up correctly, and held the open jar out so she could scoop out a handful. Melanie and Zoe watched her spread the thick, green mud all around Madison's arm where they wanted to reconnect it. Then Misty started moving her hands toward Madison's head.

"Uh, shouldn't we put some on her neck, too?" Melanie asked, referring to the nasty gash where her throat had been slit by her killer.

"Oh. Right." Misty said, pausing for a moment to do that before continuing. "Sorry, almost forgot." She took a moment to regain her focus and then placed her hands on the sides of Madison's head. Misty exhaled, then inhaled. Then she leaned down until her forehead was touching Madison's and blew softly. Misty shook her head. She looked up at Zoe and Melanie. "I need your help," she told them. "Too much death inside her. Put your hands on her stomach and push. Standing on opposite sides of the table, Zoe and Melanie did as she asked. They placed their hands on Madison's stomach and pushed while Misty tilted Madison's head further back, turning it to the side when the dead girl suddenly opened her mouth and coughed up some blood so she wouldn't choke. Zoe and Melanie stopped and looked up in amazement when they heard Madison gasp for air. Misty nodded in approval. "Keep pushing!" she urged the other girls. Zoe and Melanie quickly went back to work. While they pushed on Madison's stomach, Misty pressed her hands against her chest, moving them up to help push the death out. Misty panted from the effort. Madison started gagging and they watched as a cockroach crawled its way out of her mouth. Madison's gag turned into a scream. Misty pulled her up into a sitting position, and her scream turned into a fit of coughing. Madison gasped for air while she leaned against Misty. Zoe and Melanie exchanged a look. They did it.

When she finished coughing, the first words out of Madison's mouth were, "I need a cigarette."

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up," Melanie said, helping her off the table.

While Melanie was giving Madison a bath and scrubbing off all the dead skin so she would look more presentable, Zoe was in the kitchen with Misty, Nan, and Queenie. While Zoe had a talk with the others, Misty decided to raid the fridge. "I know you went all Malcolm X and shit, but this house is now a carnival of crazy," Queenie told Zoe. "How are you gonna explain this to Fiona?"

"I'm not. No one says a word to Fiona," Zoe said firmly. "We have to keep Madison under the radar until she's better." Queenie exchanged a glance with Nan. "And I'll… I'll figure out what to do with Kyle."

"I'm not taking him," Misty said, shutting the fridge. "He's a walking tornado. You made him. He's your problem now." Queenie put her hands on her hips and gave Zoe a look while Misty stuffed a few more bagels in her purse. "Okay. Who's taking me home?"

"It's late," Zoe said. "Why don't you stay the night, sleep in a real bed for a change?"

Misty shook her head. "No, thanks. I need to be alone."

"I thought you were looking for your tribe," Zoe said.

"I was… and I am," Misty said. "This ain't it. I got bad vibes. Real bad. There's something foul in this house." Queenie and Zoe exchanged a concerned glance.

Melanie left Madison in the tub for a moment and quickly rushed out to meet Cordelia when she heard her calling for her. "Melanie?"

"I'm here. Are you all right?" Melanie asked her. She suddenly realized this was the first time they had talked since Cordelia came home. She was barefoot and wearing a silky black robe. Melanie briefly wondered where Hank was.

"I've been looking for you," Cordelia said, reaching out and feeling for Melanie's face and shoulders. "I-I just found out about Myrtle earlier today. How are you holding up?" she asked, concerned.

"I… I'll be all right," Melanie said, bighting her lip. She had been trying not to think about it. "What about you? How are you holding up?" She knew Myrtle had been like a mother to Cordelia.

Cordelia's lower lip trembled slightly. "I'll be all right." They both missed Myrtle already, but crying wasn't going to bring her back.

"You look tired. Why don't you get some rest?" Melanie suggested when she remembered Madison was waiting for her. She carefully reached out and gave Cordelia a hug in an attempt to comfort her. "I'll bring some chrysanthemums up to your room later."

Cordelia smiled and laughed a little at that. Of course Melanie would know the right flowers to bring. "You've been digging around in the greenhouse, haven't you? I can smell the dirt."

"Yes," Melanie said, bighting her lip again. It was true she was in the greenhouse, but the dirt wasn't from the plants. "I'd better go take a shower." She withdrew from their hug and hurried back to Madison.

Cordelia soon discovered the source of the bad vibes that Misty had sensed. The blinded woman closed her bedroom door and locked it behind her. She fumbled her way over to her bed so she could sit down and take her medicine with the water on her nightstand. She reached out and felt around until she found the handle on the drawer and opened it to retrieve the prescription the doctor had given her to help with the pain. She must have spilled a few pills when she opened the bottle, because she could hear the faint sound of them bouncing against the hard wood floor at her feet. She carefully picked up the glass of water on the table and swallowed the pill. Then she put the glass and medicine back where they came from. She stood up and removed her robe so that she was only in her black underwear and a short slip. She stopped and suddenly looked up when she thought she sensed another presence in the room with her.

"I always hated this room," a gravely male voice said.

"Wow. She looks amazing," Zoe said as she and the others entered her room to see how much progress Melanie had made with Madison after Misty left, impressed. Madison still looked a little like Marilyn Manson with her pasty, pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes, but at least her skin was smooth and no longer rotting. Melanie had also helped Madison put on some comfy clothes to wear while she sat propped up in her bed.

"I used a homemade salt scrub and healing lotion. Just don't look in the tub," Melanie said. The thick layers of dead, rotting skin and the graveyard gravy tub ring were not a pleasant sight.

"You should seriously bottle that stuff and sell it," Queenie told her.

"Where's Misty?" Melanie asked.

"Something spooked her, so she went home," Zoe said.

"Yeah. She said this place gave her bad vibes," Queenie added.

"Probably the residual energy from that homicidal ghost we accidentally summoned yesterday," Melanie said with a shrug.

"I hope not," Nan said while Queenie shook her head.

"How's Madison?" Zoe asked, getting the conversation back on track.

"Dazed and confused," Melanie replied. They all glanced back at Madison, who was holding her head.

"Was I in a car crash?" the recently resurrected girl asked. She vaguely remembered sitting up on a table and screaming and Melanie helping her put on the outfit she was wearing, but most of it was a blur. Even now, the images and voices of the people around her seemed distorted.

"Drink this," Zoe said, handing her a small, green bottle of ginger ale. "Ginger'll help your stomach." Madison sighed and took a sip, but she quickly handed it back as she covered her mouth and leaned over the side of her bed. Melanie managed to kick the trashcan over just in time to catch her vomit.

"Oh," Zoe said, while Nan stared and Queenie grimaced in disgust. Guess she wasn't ready for that yet.

"Do you know who you are?" Queenie asked when she was done.

"I'm-I'm Madison Montgomery," Madison said. "I… I make $7 million a picture. I have two Teen Choice Awards." Melanie was relieved that she seemed to be more coherent than Kyle had been after his resurrection. At least she could talk and still remembered who she was.

"You died," Zoe told her. Madison blinked. "We brought you back."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Queenie asked.

Madison's eyes fluttered and flicked around as a piece of a memory flashed before them. "Red." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "A-After that, it's all… dark."

"You don't remember anything else?" Melanie asked. Madison shook her head.

"Did you see a bright light?" Nan asked.

Madison shook her head again. "No. There's nothing on the other side. It's just black… forever."

"Who are you?" Cordelia asked the stranger in her room. She heard the chair near the foot of her bed squeak softly as he stood up. "What do you want?" She knew he wasn't human when he started to come into focus, and she could see him with her blinded eyes. He appeared to be an older man with graying hair, dressed in a suit that looked like it was from the early twenties.

He approached her with an axe in his hand and stopped when they were standing only a few inches away from each other. "Release."

"I can't do that," Cordelia said. She gasped in fear when he put his hands on her and pushed her up against the wall.

"Don't think so, dirty pussy cat?" he asked. She gasped again when he applied more pressure. "Goddamn witches. They ended me once right here in this very room." She was relieved when he stepped away from her and began slowly pacing the room. "And for years after, the parties and the music and the dancing raged wild outside while I sat trapped inside these four ugly walls." He turned to look back at her. "Now, last night, this sweet young witch comes along and offers me my release, and I said, 'Oh, yes, ma'am, yes, please. What'cha need?' She asks her favor, and I provide," he said, advancing towards her again. "The thing is, when the time comes for her to ante up, bitch lies, leaving me betwixt, between and ready to pop." Cordelia gasped when he closed the gap between them and pressed her against the wall again. She shuddered. "Huh?"

"You died," she said, realizing he must be a ghost.

"Uh-huh," he said.

"And now you're trapped," she said.

"Right here with you," he added.

Cordelia panted nervously. "The only way I can help you is if you let me out of here."

"No. Nobody leaves this room," he said, moving away to pace the room again. "You see, I had a… a contract. Promises were made, and all you've got to do is sing and dance…" He turned around to face her again and began swinging his axe back and forth like a pendulum. "… and call the witches who owe me my freedom. And I'll provide the music." Cordelia screamed when he swung the axe at her face.

The girls all looked up when they heard her screams down the hall in Zoe's room. Melanie immediately jumped to her feet and ran from the room without bothering to wait for the others. "Cordelia?" Melanie called anxiously. She tried to open their teacher's door, but it wouldn't budge. Queenie and Zoe started banging on the door when they caught up with her. "It's locked," Melanie told them.

"Cordelia _!_?" Nan yelled. Melanie glared at the lock and willed it to unlock itself, but then the lock clicked back into place. She tried using her new powers to bust the door down, but it just rattled on its hinges.

"You can use telekinesis?" Nan asked.

"Doesn't matter. I can't get in. Something's trying to keep us out," Melanie said, frustrated and worried about Cordelia. All of the lights in the house went out and they heard a record scratch and Duke Ellington's _New Orleans Low Down_ start to play inside Cordelia's room.

"It's the Axeman," Zoe said. Melanie and Queenie glanced at her.

"You released him _!_? _!_ " Queenie shouted incredulously.

"I told him I would. I lied!" Zoe said.

"Shit," Melanie cursed and took off running to find a spell. Zoe and the others quickly followed. "No wonder he's pissed." They were going to need something heavy duty if they wanted to defeat the vengeful spirit.

Cordelia screamed and cried as she clawed at her bedroom door, trying to get it to open. She jumped and shrieked when the Axeman slammed his axe into the door's frame. "This don't end till I get out," he told her.

Melanie and the others rushed down the stairs.

Cordelia pushed him away and tried to run, but she ran into a table and some chairs. She felt one of them fall under her. "Get those witches in here and release me now!" the Axeman barked at her.

"Got to hell!" she told him. She wasn't letting this maniac anywhere near her girls.

"Ladies first," he told her with a smile.

Melanie and Zoe cleared the last few steps on the stairs with a jump as Cordelia screamed again and rushed through the doors of her study.

Cordelia panted and whimpered in fear as she dived under a table that was up against the wall in an attempt to find some form of protection while the Axeman destroyed the chair that she had just been on. "Now dance," he said, raising his axe again. Cordelia screamed.

Melanie pulled open the doors on the cabinet where Cordelia kept the books that contained her most powerful spells. "We need a spell to make him move on," Zoe said.

 _No shit,_ Melanie thought as her eyes scanned the spines, searching anxiously for something they could use. This was her first time dealing with a real ghost, but she knew there were a number of spells that could supposedly be used against ghosts. But most banishment spells usually turned out to be duds. Her hands hovered over the books. She couldn't be sure which would work, and they didn't have time for guesswork.

"I told you not to mess with that spirit board," Queenie told Zoe.

"Hurry, Melanie!" Zoe said when Cordelia's screaming continued.

"Ugh!" Melanie groaned in frustration and shut her eyes, tuning out the rest of the world, as she let her intuition take over.

"Yeah, there's a shit ton of books in there, and not one of them is written in English," Queenie said while she, Nan, and Zoe watched Melanie's hand glide over the many spines until it stopped on one particular book. Melanie opened her eyes. She pulled it from the shelf and looked at the cover. It was an old Latin grimoire that dealt in matters of life, death, and those stuck in between.

"This is it," she said, quickly moving to set it down on the table. Melanie opened the book, and it automatically flipped itself to the page they needed. She could read Latin, so she cast a quick glance over the spell to make sure everything was up to code. Fortunately, they didn't need to make any special preparations. Everything required for working this spell was already in play. She and the others all gasped and looked up towards the ceiling when they heard a loud thudding and more screams. "Give me your hands," Melanie said quickly, holding hers out. Nan and Zoe each grabbed one, and Queenie grabbed Zoe's and Nan's other hands as they formed a circle around the book on the table. "Solvo Liberatum Spirito Malus Nequam Pessimis Peior…" The jazz music suddenly stopped as all the candles in the room ignited and their wicks burned bright with four-inch-high flames. Then they extinguished themselves just as suddenly, and the electric lights came back on. The four girls exchanged a glance and quickly hurried back upstairs.

Cordelia was still screaming when they burst into the room and found her curled up under her desk, trembling with fear. Melanie and Nan quickly dropped to their knees to check on her. Terrified, Cordelia cried out and reached for them, feeling around frantically to touch their faces.

"It's all right, Cordelia. He's gone." Melanie said, trying to comfort the frightened woman while she clung to them. "He's gone."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy it.

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 **Chapter 7: The Dead**

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"Here. This will help you sleep," Melanie said, handing Cordelia a mug of warm milk with honey and chamomile once she was calm enough to be tucked into bed.

Cordelia smiled softly and accepted the comforting drink. "Thank you." She took a sip and savored the warmth and subtle sweetness. She used to make the same thing for Melanie when she was younger and had trouble sleeping because of her nightmares.

"Where's Hank?" Melanie asked, wondering why he hadn't been around to help while Cordelia was in trouble. "Is he on another job?"

"I don't know. I kicked him out," Cordelia answered tightly, surprising her. "I just couldn't… not after he…" She bit her lower lip when it started to tremble, struggling to reign in her pain and anger so she wouldn't start crying again.

Melanie placed a gentle, comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do we hate him?"

Despite everything, Cordelia smiled when she heard that. She knew it was Melanie's way of letting her know that no matter what happened, she was on her side. "Yes," Cordelia answered and took another sip of her warm milk.

"Okay. He's officially on my black list," Melanie said seriously with a nod. Whatever that idiot did, it had to be serious for Cordelia to finally kick his lying ass to the curb. He was dead meat if she saw him again. "I'll go get those chrysanthemums I promised you earlier."

Kyle wandered around the tattoo parlor, singing drunkenly along to the song playing on the radio, _Rosanna_ by Toto, while he waited for his friends Billy and Jimmy to finish. "Meet you all the way—Yeah-ah." He hummed along to the instrumental break. "Take you all the way. Do-do-do. Rosanna, yeah." He smiled and laughed when he saw the goofy expression on his own face in the reflection of an old porthole in the wall. He kept singing as he turned and moved along through the shop. "Take you all the way. Ooh-hoo-hoo." He laughed again, having fun. He loved this song. It reminded him of all the good times he used to have with his dad. His old man was the one who had introduced him to this band. It reminded him of better time, before everything went to hell. "Take you all the way. Oh, yeah… Seriously," he said, high-fiving one of his college friends. "Toto is amazing."

"Toto sucktitude," Jim said with a smirk.

"I will not argue about this, bro. Toto is amazeballs," Kyle boasted loudly. "Rosanna, yeah." He started scatting along to the music.

"Shut up about your incredibly gay crush on your incredibly gay band and get over here," Billy said.

"Seriously. Kyle, what are you gonna get?" Jim asked. "Come on, check mine out." Kyle walked over to have a look as his friend sat down on a tall stool and held his ankle up to show off his new tattoo.

"Let's see," Kyle said, staring at it. It was a bunch of Asian characters.

"It means 'Beginning and End'," Jim explained proudly. Kyle made a noise somewhere between a laugh and snort as he shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. "You know, dude, most of those don't even mean what the chart on the wall says they mean. You might have 'I'm a freaking idiot' on your leg right now." Billy laughed when Jim quickly glanced at his ankle again. "Seriously. You're gonna go out for Chinese food in a pair of shorts, and the whole wait staff is gonna be laughing their asses off at you." Kyle smiled and drank some more of his beer while his friends laughed.

"What the hell does 'Beginning and End' mean, even if that is what it says?" Billy asked.

"It's my life philosophy," Jim said. "It means, live right goddamn now."

Kyle looked from Jim to Billy. "You're full of shit," he told Jim, earning another laugh from his friends.

"Yeah, seriously, Kyle, get something," Billy said.

"No, dude. My mom would kill me," Kyle said quickly as an excuse. He wasn't that drunk.

"Oh, it's cool," Billy said. "Oh, I'd totally bang her to take her mind off of it." He laughed, and Jim soon joined in. Kyle forced a smile and laugh. It was a sore subject, but he knew Billy didn't mean any harm. And his mother couldn't hurt him anymore now that he was out of that house.

"No, I got plans," Kyle said. "I'm not gonna grow up and work for Daddy, or sell pot to undergrads all my life. You guys know why the levees broke during Katrina?"

" 'Cause the little Dutch boy ran out of fingers?" Jim said.

"The levees were built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But they built them for shit," Kyle explained. "And where I'm from still hasn't recovered and probably never will."

"What the hell does you getting a tattoo have to do with Katrina?" Billy asked.

"I'm going to be an engineer," Kyle said. "And I'm going to make sure shit like that never happens again. I don't want to walk into some big meeting with a mayor or a governor and roll up my sleeves and have a little Saints logo or a… or a Wile E. Coyote or anything that's gonna make him think that I'm anything other than his knight in shining armor. I got one life, and I'm not wasting it."

"I think it's a pretty cool idea, Kyle," Jim said.

"Thank you, Jimmy," Kyle said, clapping his hands.

"Yeah, I do, too. That's why I want to wish you the luck of the Irish," Billy said, showing him the little shamrock that he'd just had tattooed on his arm near the crook of his elbow.

"I didn't know you were Irish," Kyle told him.

"I'm not," Billy said.

"You can't drink or fight. You're a little bitch," Kyle said, earning another laugh.

"It looks good, right?" Billy asked.

A teardrop landed on Kyle's arm as he stared down at the shamrock tattoo that was on his arm. He had seen it there before, but the memory that explained its significance had only just come back to him. He could remember most of his older memories, like the ones involving his home and his mother, but many memories of his college years were still lost or fragmented. But he remembered now. This arm… this arm was supposed to be Billy's. It had belonged to one of his best friends in the ΚΛΓ frat. He grunted and hit himself in the head. That's right. Billy had been on the bus with him that night. He was so stupid! How could he have forgotten that? These arms, these legs—they weren't his. A terrible thought occurred to Kyle. If these arms were Billy's, then whose legs did he have? Still crying over his friend, he kneeled down and lifted one of his pants' legs. On the skin of his ankle was Jim's Asian tattoo. Kyle squeezed his eyes shut and wailed in grief and horror, sobbing even harder. What the hell was this? What had he become? Screw being an engineer, he was barely human anymore! He whimpered in despair and looked up when he heard a sound. It was Zoe.

Zoe stood there for a moment, watching him cry. She and Melanie had left him alone for longer than they had intended. Melanie had stayed with Cordelia, while she changed into a set of fresh clothes and went to check on Kyle. Now Zoe was wearing a white blouse with quarter-length sleeves and black leather overalls. On her feet were black ankle boots. In the hand behind her back was Madison's small gun.

"No," Kyle whimpered, muttering to himself. His chains rattled as he shifted about. He was a wreck. "What am I?" he moaned miserably with tears streaming down his face.

Zoe lowered her hand, bringing the gun to her side as she began to approach him. "Hey," she said softly. Kyle was startled when he saw the weapon and muttered something unintelligible as he scrambled to get away from her. He didn't get far with the chains holding him to the beam. "You know how this has to go, right?" she asked, stopping to kneel before him at what she had deemed to be a safe distance. Kyle whimpered and started murmuring again. "You were a great guy, Kyle. But you died." Kyle grunted and struggled against the chains. "I didn't let you go when I should have." Kyle panted, starting to get scared. "I don't understand my power yet. It's new." Kyle gasped. "I used it to bring you back." Kyle started crying again. "You killed your mother, Kyle," Zoe reminded him. Melanie said it was an act of self-defense, but how could she know? How could anyone know what was going on inside his head? She was pretty sure even Kyle didn't know half the time. He wasn't that same smart, kind boy that they had met at the party anymore. He was dangerous. She watched as Kyle started sobbing again at the cruel reminder of his sins. "There's only one way left to fix this." Zoe looked up when she heard a small noise and saw a shocked Melanie standing inside the greenhouse.

Melanie stared at the scene before her with wide eyes. Her blood ran cold when she saw the gun Zoe's hands. "What are you…?" The girls gasped in alarm when Kyle suddenly grunted and lunged at Zoe to grab the gun from her. Afraid, Zoe quickly scooted away from him and backed up until she was standing beside Melanie. Zoe gasped and Melanie tensed when he grunted and yelled while pulling against his chains with the gun in his hands. For a moment, they were worried he was going to do something dangerous, but then he whimpered and curled up and sat back on his feet while clutching the gun against his chest, muttering sadly to himself. Melanie felt her heart skip a beat when he put the gun in his mouth with his finger on the trigger. Zoe suddenly wanted to stop him, but Melanie beat her to it.

"No!" Melanie cried, lunging forward to take the gun away. Kyle yelled when she pulled it out of his mouth and tried to put it back, refusing to let go. He didn't understand why she was stopping him. It seemed like the only things he'd felt since he came back had been misery, pain, and emptiness. And he'd hurt people. Whatever else she was, Alicia had been his mother. And he killed her. He killed his own mother! His friends were gone. Their bodies had been used to make him into something else. He didn't know what he was anymore, but he knew that he wasn't himself. He was a monster. And it was only a matter of time before he hurt these girls, too. He thought Zoe was right. This was the only way.

But Melanie wasn't ready to give up on him. She refused to let go. "Kyle, please!" she started begging, trying desperately to calm him down.

"No! M-Monster!" Kyle wailed. He had to do this. It wasn't right for him to be like this. He wanted to fight harder, but he was afraid of hurting her.

Zoe watched as they wrestled desperately against each other for the gun. She shrieked when it went off with a bang in their hands and shot out a pane in the skylight. Kyle glanced in her direction, and Melanie took advantage of the momentary weakness in his defense. She ripped the gun from his hands and threw it across the room as the shards of glass fell around them. With that immediate danger gone, Melanie stopped to catch her breath, panting heavily from the effort of struggling to keep up with him.

Kyle muttered something and wailed as he lowered his head in defeat. "No," he cried miserably, feeling lost and hopeless. Seeing this made Melanie start to cry, too, and she leaned in to wrap her arms around him while he sobbed. She held him close and gripped his shirt tightly in her hands.

"You are not a monster. I don't care what anyone else says," Melanie told him, struggling to keep her voice steady. "If you're a monster, then so am I. I don't want you to die." Kyle started crying harder and clutched at her jacket. Zoe felt her heart break seeing them together like that. But it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. More than anything, she felt ashamed. "I don't want you to die, so please, keep trying just a little longer," Melanie said again, bighting her lip, as she placed her hands on the sides of his head and angled hers so that he could see her eyes. "But… if you really can't stand living this way, then I… I promise, Kyle," she swallowed the lump in her throat and looked him dead in the eye, "if and when that time comes, I'll kill you myself." Kyle grunted and stopped crying as he stared into her eyes. It wasn't a threat or some half-hearted statement meant to temporarily placate him. It was a promise. She would do it. She wouldn't leave him to suffer alone like this. Carefully, he reached out a finger to wipe away one of her tears and rested his head against her chest. He hadn't meant to make her cry. It still hurt, but part of him was glad that she had stopped him now. He wanted to stay with Melanie. When she was around, he didn't feel so empty.

Zoe felt her own eyes stinging with fresh tears. She felt terrible. She could see it now. Kyle wasn't hers anymore. Part of her had already sensed it, but she hadn't wanted to admit it. She was jealous. She really had thought Kyle would be better off if she ended him at the time, but now she realized part of her had wanted to do it because she was angry. Part of her had wanted to hurt them. Even though they had done nothing but help her since the moment she met them. They deserved better. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" she whispered as tears fell from her eyes.

Cordelia knocked her cane and the glass on her nightstand to the floor as she fumbled around blindly to answer the ringing phone. "Hello?" she asked when she finally had it held against her ear.

"Shit. It's late," Hank said on the other end.

"Hank," Cordelia said, surprised. He sounded drunk. He must be to call at this time of night. She couldn't have been asleep for a more than a few minutes.

"I miss you, baby. I want to come home."

Cordelia nearly rolled her eyes. "Go to bed, Hank," she told him and promptly hung up the phone before he could waste any more of her time. Very carefully, she got out of bed and started calling for the maid to come help her clean up the broken glass and find her cane. "Delphine?"

"Delphine?" Cordelia called again while she wandered around blindly. "Spalding? Who is it?" She knew she heard someone moving around. "I know you're there." She took several steps forward.

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold it there!" Madison shouted, running out to grab her before she fell down the stairs.

"Madison," Cordelia said, surprised to hear her voice. While holding onto the once missing girl, she realized that she could hear another voice. Her mother's. She was having another vision.

Fiona was standing before Madison, wearing a red dress and holding a knife in her hand, trying to make Madison take it. "I know because I was standing where you're standing!" her mother shouted.

"Stop yelling at me!" Madison cried.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" Fiona yelled. Madison screamed, and Fiona used the knife to slit the younger witch's throat.

Cordelia gasped loudly in shock and took a step back as the vision finished. Myrtle had been right all along. Her mother had killed Madison. And then she had Myrtle framed and killed to cover her own crimes. Cordelia's expression hardened as her blood began to boil with anger. "Fiona." She was going to pay for this.

Melanie found herself being nudged awake by Zoe and realized that she had nodded off during her turn to sit with Kyle to keep an eye on him. Once everyone had calmed down, and Zoe had finished explaining why she had thought it was a good idea to bring a gun anywhere near Kyle, the girls had a quiet discussion and came to an agreement to try to help Kyle through rehabilitation. Melanie had already begun some research into different exercises for speech and physical therapy after her search through Cordelia's more reliable spells came up empty. Since Kyle was still pretty shaken up after his recent suicide attempt, the girls had taken turns watching him in shifts. The one with him was supposed to stay awake. "Sorry," Melanie said, feeling a bit sheepish for falling asleep on duty. At least it looked like Kyle was finally getting some rest. There was an almost peaceful expression on his sleeping face and his breathing had become soft and even.

"Can we talk?" Zoe asked with a serious expression on her face.

Melanie nodded and carefully removed herself from Kyle, who had been leaning against her with his head resting on top of hers. She followed Zoe over to the table. "What is it? Is something wrong?" she asked, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't wake him.

Zoe bit her lip and glanced between Melanie and Kyle. "Do you like him?"

Melanie blinked. "Well, I think he's probably a good guy, despite everything…"

"Because I think he likes you," Zoe said, surprising her. "So, do you like him?"

Now it was Melanie's turn to bite her lip and glance between Zoe and Kyle. She took a moment to think carefully about her answer. Did she like Kyle? Zoe obviously meant in a romantic way. Melanie glanced back at him and watched the softened expression on his face and the way his chest rose and fell while he slept. Did she love Kyle? She searched deeply for the answer. She did. She didn't know why, but she did. Maybe it was because they shared similar scars. But was that enough? She had met others who were abused as children before in support groups and cared for them, felt their pain, but she didn't love them. Not like this. "I do," she answered eventually. She didn't want to lie to Zoe. "But, from the moment you two met at that party, and you Madison brought him back, I think he's only had eyes for you. I think…" Melanie fidgeted a little nervously. "I think he just feels more comfortable around me now because we have… an understanding."

"Understanding? Does it have anything to do with why you're so convinced what he did to his mother was an act of self-defense?" Zoe asked, frowning.

"I don't really want to talk about it, but… this 'understanding' we have of each other stems from having endured similar traumas," Melanie began to explain hesitantly. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest. "Madison hinted at it when you first came here, remember? She mentioned I killed my foster father?" Zoe nodded. Melanie bit her lip again seemed to close in on herself as she continued. "I won't go into details, but he abused me. Think of the worst thing a parent can do to a child, and that's what he did. I hated him so much for it that the stress activated my pyrokinesis, and I set him on fire." Zoe gasped and covered her mouth, horrified on her friend's behalf. The things she thought of still didn't quite hit the target, but they were close enough to justify her actions. "Kyle's mother did the same thing to him. There were clues of this in his house, but I didn't put them together until it was too late. Because I was too slow, it happened again, and Kyle ended up killing his mother while trying to stop it." Melanie grit her teeth and clenched her fists, digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands.

"Melanie… it wasn't your fault," Zoe said, trying to comfort her.

"That's not all, Zoe," Melanie said, lowering her head. "I couldn't say anything before with the Council and Fiona around, but he saved me. When I was kidnapped by that witch hunter I told you about, Kyle followed us. Michael was about to shoot me while I still couldn't use my powers, and Kyle saved me by tackling him before he could. He fought him off long enough for the drugs to wear off. And he nearly died doing it. Michael would have put a bullet in his brain if my powers of telekinesis hadn't activated at the right moment." She looked up at Zoe. "So you see, he's not a monster. Monsters don't try to save people."

Zoe looked away and bit her lip while she considered everything she had just heard. After a lengthy silence, she looked up again and took Melanie's hands in her own. "Misty's right. You two were meant to be together."

Melanie furrowed her brow in confusion. "But you…"

"You know, for someone so smart, you can be really dense," Zoe said with a small laugh and sad smile. "I thought I liked Kyle, too. But I've been thinking, and I've begun to realize most of the things I thought was doing for him, I was really doing for myself. To relieve the guilt I felt over his death and then his botched resurrection. And then I even tried to kill him. Twice. I would have poisoned him the first time if he hadn't gone after you to save you. I'm selfish, Melanie." Zoe could feel tears forming in her eyes again.

"Isn't everyone?" Melanie said in a small voice. "I know I am."

Zoe squeezed her hands. "No. You're not. You're different. I've watched the two of you together. I've seen the way you look at him. And the way he looks at you… he's never looked at me that way. Not even when he was still alive. You and Kyle belong together." They were both crying now.

"Are you sure?" Melanie asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

Zoe nodded. "I want you to have him." She realized that if she had to lose him to someone else, she didn't mind so much if it was Melanie.

Melanie gasped and started crying harder. She was happy, but she was sad for Zoe. "Are you going to be all right?"

"I think so. Eventually," Zoe said leaning her head against her friend's shoulder.

"Love's weird, isn't it?" Melanie said, closing her eyes as the two friends stood there, holding each other.

"Yeah," Zoe agreed quietly, "it is."

When Kyle woke up, they took him to the main house and snuck him up to Melanie's new room as quickly and quietly as possible. Since Zoe had already had a chance to change and refresh herself, she volunteered to get Kyle started while Melanie took a shower and put on some fresh clothes. "I want to trust you, Kyle," Zoe told him as she undid his chains. He was surprisingly calm considering their last encounter. It probably helped that he knew Melanie was only a few feet away. "You need to learn how to communicate. When you're hungry, when you're tired, when… when you feel like you might do something bad." She picked up the pack of flashcards they had made for him. "When you're hungry, we want you to say 'food.'" She showed him the first two cards. One had 'FOOD' written on it and a picture of a grilled fish on a silver platter. The second had 'HAMBURGER' and a picture of a cheeseburger.

"Food," Kyle said, reading the first card. It was still hard to get the word out, but he did it.

"Good," Zoe said with a smile. Kyle looked down as she moved on to the next cards. He didn't like this. He felt like she was looking down on him. "When you're tired… you can say 'bed'."

Kyle snapped and slapped the cards out of her hands as he yelled at her. "Not!" He stopped himself, breathing heavily as he fought to reel in his temper. He struggled to give voice to the right words to express himself. "Stupid."

"I know you're not." Zoe said gently, reminding herself to stay calm since he seemed to be controlling himself. "You're not stupid."

Kyle shook his head. "Mm-mm," he said in agreement.

"Everything you know, it… it's stuck in your head," Zoe said, reaching out to touch his temple. Kyle winced slightly at her touch. The area of his face near that eye still felt bruised. "Melanie said that what you've been through, coming back the way you did, it… it's like some of your wires got crossed in the process. She said that after watching you, she thinks it's something similar to when someone has a stroke. You're not stupid, and you know what's going on, but your brain and the rest of your body are having trouble communicating with each other. Exercises like this are used in therapy for people recovering from strokes. We're trying to help you, so you can function like a person."

Kyle looked away. He thought about it, and what she said seemed to make sense. He decided to keep trying. But he was done with the cards for now.

Zoe scooted back a little to give him some space when he moved to try the physical exercise they had set up for him to practice eating some oatmeal with a spoon. She gave him a little smile when he glanced at her and watched while he picked up the spoon and used it to scoop some oatmeal out of the bowl. He held the spoon in an odd way, but she thought he was doing rather well, until he suddenly lost it when half of the oatmeal fell off the spoon after he put it in his mouth.

Kyle screamed in anger and threw the spoon away. "No!" he shouted, frustrated that he still couldn't complete such a simple task without making a fool of himself. The bowl shattered as he threw it against the floor.

"Stop. Shh," Zoe said, trying to calm him down. She was relieved when Melanie quickly emerged from the bathroom.

"What is it?" Melanie asked. Her brow was furrowed with concern. She was dressed in an army green loose-fitting t-shirt style maxi dress, but her hair was still very wet and tangled. Kyle grunted and shouted, hitting the floor with his hand.

"He's upset because he's having trouble with the exercises," Zoe said.

"Kyle," Melanie said gently, kneeling down in front of him very carefully so she wouldn't startle him and upset him further. "It's all right if you can't do it right away. Be patient with yourself." Kyle grunted, but he didn't flinch or pull away when she reached out to touch his arm. "I know it's frustrating, but what your mind and your body have been through was very traumatic. It's going to take time for you to recover. Your body… your new body isn't used to listening to the brain it's been paired with. But it's begun to adjust. You're adapting to it little by little. I can tell. You're already doing much better compared to that first night you came back. Even younger stroke victims, people in their twenties and thirties, can take years to recover…" She was a little startled when Kyle suddenly pulled away from her and shouted as he beat the floor with his fist. He lost his temper again the moment he heard how long it was going to take for him to recover his full faculties. He didn't want to be stuck like this for that long. He couldn't even use a spoon! He wanted to be better _now._ He was tired of being a burden. He just wanted to be normal again. "Kyle," Melanie said more firmly, trying to get his attention. "It's hard, and it takes a lot of work. But they do recover. So can you. You don't have to do this alone. We'll be with you every step of the way." Kyle grunted and shook his head, rocking back and forth on his knees and fists. Melanie looked up when she saw the door open out the corner of her eye. For moment, she was worried they might have been caught, but then Madison sauntered into the room.

"Jesus, who's this?" Madison asked as she passed the three teens on the floor to lounge on the unclaimed bed.

"Don't you remember?" Melanie asked. They could see from the look on her face that she didn't.

"It's Kyle," Zoe said. "We used a spell, brought him back to life? You killed him." Madison looked at the strange boy on the floor again. There was a tiny spark of recognition in her eyes now.

"Oh, uh… Cordelia wants to see you two," Madison said as she looked back at them, remembering why she had come there in the first place. "Uh, actually, that would be impossible, but she does want to talk." Zoe and Melanie exchanged a glance.

"She knows you're alive?" Zoe asked.

"She knows a lot more than you think," Madison replied, sitting up. "Go," she said, waving her hand at them. "I'll take care of him." Zoe and Melanie glanced at Kyle. He seemed to have calmed down enough for that.

"Just be careful," Melanie said as they left, sparing Madison a glance over her shoulder. She didn't want to come back and find one of them dead again. She slipped on a pair of red toms for the trip down to Cordelia's office.

Kyle looked up when he realized Zoe and Melanie were both leaving. There was a sharp pain in his chest and that consuming feeling of emptiness returned when the door shut behind them and blocked Melanie from his sight, and every negative thought that he had been trying to avoid came rushing back to fill the void. Kyle didn't like it when she left him alone. But he wasn't alone this time. He was quickly reminded of this when Madison left the bed and started to approach him. Kyle shifted nervously, unsure how to react. He didn't know her other than that time he had tried to save her from his sorority brothers. He vaguely remembered hearing Zoe and Madison mention before that she had been the one who helped Zoe bring him back. But Zoe had also just said that she killed him. Did that mean she did something to the bus that night? Was she behind the accident? He moaned, feeling uncomfortable when she pulled the collar of his shirt away from the back of his neck to examine his scars.

Madison's memories of the incident were becoming clearer. All things considered, he was still pretty cute. "Looks like we had to put you back together. Lucky I picked out all the best pieces."

Kyle shouted when her words sank in and he realized she was the one who had decided to use his friend's arms and legs, and he hit her hand away as he shuffled around to face her. He grunted angrily at her.

"You were dead. So was I. I didn't see a light, did you?" Madison asked him, struggling to keep her voice steady. Kyle stared at her. "Mine was cold and dark… and then nothing." Kyle looked down while he listened. It had been the same for him. "But we both came back. To this. Somehow, it feels more empty here." Kyle looked up at her again when she reached out to touch his hand and saw the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "You know exactly how I feel. You've been wondering if it was worth the trouble. And I've been wondering the same thing," she said sadly. Kyle sniffed, feeling as though he were on the verge of tears himself just thinking about how lonely and empty he had felt ever since he came back. She was right. He knew exactly how she felt. And she knew how he felt. Looking in her eyes, he could see that she understood him in a way that even Melanie never would. The way only someone else who had died could. He sniffed again and scooted closer to her as a tear fell from his eye. In that moment, he wasn't thinking of Melanie, only of the girl in front of him and his own pain. They put their arms around each other in a close embrace, trying to fill the void, the aching emptiness that had been left on their souls like a scar.

Cordelia closed the door to her office behind Zoe and Melanie while the girls took a seat in front of her desk. "You go into the hospital, and wonder if you'll ever come out again. You come out, and you wonder, 'Goddamn, what have been doing all these years?'" Melanie and Zoe watched while she used her cane to navigate and carefully moved her hand along the sideboard until she found the tea tray. "Tea?" she offered.

"No, thank you," Zoe said.

"None for me, either," Melanie added, wondering why they had been called in to speak with her. She was concerned that Cordelia may have somehow found out about Kyle, too.

Cordelia poured herself a cup of tea, managing to only spill a little. "I would say everything is different now… but it's not. Everything around here is exactly the same." She picked up her mug of tea and turned to make her way to have a seat behind her desk. "Only difference is…" she set the mug down on the desk, "now I see it." Melanie knew whatever was coming next was serious when Cordelia opened a drawer in her desk to remove a silver flask. "The Axeman was a bad spirit," their teacher continued, taking a seat across from them. "You two not only brought him here, you sent him packing, which means you are two hot shit witches." Cordelia unscrewed the top on the flask and added a dose of its contents to her tea. "Power like yours does not go unnoticed. Which means you've got bull's-eyes on your backs, kiddos, and our biggest enemy is locked, loaded, and looking at you." She pushed the flash towards the girls. Zoe and Melanie spoke their next words simultaneously.

"Marie Laveau," Zoe said.

"Fiona," Melanie said. Zoe glanced at her with a confused look on her face, but Cordelia wasn't at all surprised.

"That's right," Cordelia said grimly. Melanie always had been a sharp tack. "My mother."

"But she's on our side," Zoe said skeptically.

"That kind of thinking is what makes her so dangerous," Melanie said seriously with a frown.

Cordelia nodded in agreement. "Fiona Goode has been on the same side her whole life: her own. Now, I don't know if either of you is the next Supreme, nobody does, but if she jumps to that conclusion, right or wrong, she will slit your throat just like she did to Madison."

Melanie's jaw tightened. _So, she suspects Fiona, too_.

"Nobody knows who killed Madison, not even Madison," Zoe said.

"She doesn't, but I do," Cordelia said confidently. "My mother killed Madison because she thought Madison was the next leader of our coven. She wanted to absorb her power, her life force. So if she even thinks you're next… you're next."

Zoe was stunned. "Holy shit." She began to realize the terrible danger they were in as Cordelia's words sank in.

"Right?" Cordelia said. Melanie watched calmly while Zoe grabbed the flask from the desk to have a sip of liquid courage. She wasn't nearly as shocked since Cordelia was merely confirming what she had suspected all along. "Fiona is fading, growing weaker. Which only makes her more dangerous. A wounded animal will rip you apart if it's cornered."

"So what do we do?" Zoe asked. Melanie waited patiently to hear the answer while Cordelia tightened her grip on her mug.

"It's simple," their teacher said. "We're going to kill my mother." Zoe's eyes widened in surprise, while Melanie's brow creased slightly with concern. "Kill her once, kill her good, kill her dead."

"Are you sure?" Melanie asked. That was the course of action she would have chosen herself, but Cordelia's mother had always been her weak spot.

"I'm sure," Cordelia said, firm in her resolve to do away with Fiona once and for all before she could kill anymore of her students and fellow witches.

The two girls walked back to Melanie's room in a daze. Zoe couldn't believe they were going to kill the Supreme. It was too surreal. Melanie was already quietly forming a myriad of plans and backup plans for their next course of action. They were both so deep in their thoughts, that neither of them noticed the unusual sounds coming from the room until Zoe opened the door, and they found themselves staring with wide eyes at the sight of Kyle grunting and banging a moaning Madison hard up against the armoire. Zoe quickly shut the door and turned around while Melanie continued to stare ahead in disbelief. At first they just felt numb with shock, but then the odd and unexpected scene and all its implications began to sink in. Hurt and anger came next. Letting Melanie have Kyle was one thing, but Zoe couldn't stand the thought of losing him to someone like Madison. And watching Melanie's reaction made it even harder. Her normally unflappable pokerface crumbled as she leaned back against the wall opposite the door, struggling to stay on her feet and keep her tears in her eyes. Her skin had turned white as a sheet apart from her heavily flushed cheeks, and she was struggling to keep her breathing steady and even. Melanie sank to the floor and hugged her knees, fighting to stay calm so her powers wouldn't go out of control. Part of her felt betrayed, even though she was fully aware that she and Kyle hadn't really entered any sort of romantic relationship with each other. They hadn't made any promises. He had never actually said that he loved her back. The reality was that Kyle's world had become very small after his death. His contact with other people had been very limited. She was one of only four, now five, people who knew of his continued existence and got close to him after. The truth was that he had become attached to her because he felt safe with her. Melanie dug her nails into the flesh of her arms as she tightened her grip on herself. Just because she helped him didn't mean that he was obligated to like her back. She had been prepared to lose him to Zoe. That had been expected since he had been resurrected for her sake to begin with, and she had thought they shared a mutual crush on each other from the moment they met. So when Zoe told her that wasn't the case, that she might actually have a chance with the lonely, damaged boy that she—for reasons even she couldn't fathom—had started to fall for, she had been so incredibly happy and relieved. But now that hope had been shattered in the harshest of ways when she witnessed him fucking Madison in her room with her own eyes. It made her heart ache and her blood boil. Melanie didn't know how Zoe did it, how she had managed to let go so gracefully. When Melanie saw them, all she wanted to do was storm in and rip them apart. She didn't want to give him up. She didn't want to have to watch him be with someone else. Especially not Madison, who she had never gotten along with. Who had killed him and then abandoned him and Zoe when they needed her. Did she even love him? They had only been left alone together for a few minutes. Melanie just didn't understand how this could have happened. How she could become so devastated over a boy she'd known for less than a week. It hurt so much that it felt like she had been ripped in half, like part of her was dying.

"Melanie…" Zoe said gently, reaching out in an attempt to comfort her.

Melanie tucked her head against her knees in a feeble attempt to hide. "Sorry, but I really need to be alone right now…"

Zoe nodded in understanding and withdrew her hand. "Alright." She kind of needed to be alone, too. Melanie waited until she was gone before she stood up and wiped her eyes. She couldn't stay there. She had to get away from this room. Away from this house. She rushed down the stairs and ran out the door. She kept running. She didn't care that her hair was still a tangled mess or that her feet hurt from pounding against the pavement in her thin-soled shoes. She kept going, only stopping when the stitch in her side became unbearable and she was desperate for air. When Melanie finished catching her breath, she finally looked up to take in her surroundings. She had run a lot farther than she thought and was now standing outside the Good Will store she often went to for clothes. She decided to go in, hoping to distract herself from her problems with some retail therapy. It didn't work. She kept finding outfits that she thought would look good on Kyle. She was still angry and wanted to put them back, but then she realized he actually did need more clothes. He might not have made her any promises, but she had made a promise that she would take care of him. Regardless of how she felt at the moment, he was still her responsibility. So she collected the outfits and put them in a basket. She got in line and started making a mental list of other things he would need, when something on another rack in the women's section caught her eye. She blinked in disbelief when she realized what it was and left the line to approach the item carefully. She didn't want to draw attention to it and drum up competition for herself.

Meanwhile, Zoe sat on a chair in the attic near the foot of Spalding's bed, waiting for the creepy butler to wake up. She had originally been planning to do this with Melanie but decided that her friend had enough to worry about at the moment. Besides, Melanie seemed to have already made up her mind about Fiona. But Zoe wanted to be absolutely certain. Cordelia's word alone wasn't enough for her. Melanie had treated Spalding's wounds after their interrogation so they wouldn't get infected and cause further complications, and then replaced the butler's ripped shirt with his silk robe. She had also tied his wrists to the bedframe to keep him from escaping. It was very convenient. But waiting was boring. Zoe was thinking of waking him up herself when he suddenly gasped for air and opened his eyes. He looked startled to find himself restrained. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he found out what she had done to him while he was out. "Hey, Spalding. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," the butler answered, looking around. "I feel fine." He paused, scrunching his face up in confusion when he realized what he had just done. "How am I…?" He laid his head back down on the pillow and stuck his tongue out, moving it around to make sure it was really there. Zoe got up from her chair and walked over to set a small wooden box down on the night table beside his bed. "Whose tongue is this?"

"Yours," she replied, putting one of his teddy bears behind his head to prop it up while they talked. "I found it the other day, hidden away. At first, I didn't realize what it was. I mean, a severed tongue stored away for forty years? You'd think it'd be shriveled up like a slice of beef jerky by now. But it wasn't. It was wet, alive… because someone enchanted it. Isn't that right?"

"Yes," the butler answered against his will, causing him to wince.

Zoe picked up the box again to show him the initials engraved on the bottom. " 'M.S.' Myrtle Snow." She put it back on the table. "She wanted you to tell the truth. But that was the last thing you wanted to do. So you cut it out of your own head." Spalding remained silent. "Answer me!" she shouted, in no mood for his crap after the day she'd had.

The butler flinched. "Yes!"

"But you didn't know that she kept it," Zoe continued. "Myrtle wasn't witch enough to restore it." She smiled. "But I'm not Myrtle." She had found the spell she needed tucked inside the old trunk they found the other day. Performing it was easy once she had found all of the ingredients for it. Then all she had to do was put Spalding's tongue back inside his mouth and wait.

The butler chuckled and made a kissing face at her. "What do you want from me, hmm?" he asked the young witch while she crossed her arms.

"The only thing that you can't refuse me. The truth," Zoe replied. That wiped the smirk off his face. "Did you kill Madison Montgomery?"

He struggled against his honest tongue. "M-Madison Montgomery… is alive."

"That wasn't the question," Zoe said.

"No!" he snapped as the word escaped his lips. He rolled his eyes in frustration. "I didn't kill her."

"But you know who did," Zoe pressed.

"Yes!" the butler blurted out against his will. "I do!"

"Say the name," she told him.

Spalding grimaced and squirmed in his bed "Please don't make me!"

"Say the name," Zoe ordered, looming over him.

He groaned, fighting to keep the words in.

"Say it," Zoe commanded sternly. She had to lean back when he started spitting in his effort not to talk.

"Fiona!" he moaned miserably. "Fiona Goode! I say her name. I bless it! As long as there is a tongue in this head, I will say it! I will always say her name! Fiona Goode! Our Supreme!" he ranted passionately.

Zoe remained completely unmoved. "She's not your Supreme, Spalding. She's your employer. You're not part of this coven."

"My family has served this coven… for ten generations," he sneered at her. "I have devoted my life to it."

"Not anymore," Zoe said and plunged a knife into his heart. Spalding grunted and groaned in pain upon receiving the vicious deathblow. "You're done taking."

When Melanie returned to the school, she listened carefully outside her door before knocking in order to avoid walking in on another traumatizing scene. She was relieved when she opened the door to find Kyle waiting for her alone. But she didn't know how to feel when she saw how happy he looked to see her. "I got you a few things," she said as she stepped into the room to set her bags down and closed the door behind her. She started putting everything away. "Some clothes, a toothbrush, and deodorant. You can use my shampoo and bodywash since it isn't too…" She lost track of what she was going to say when he started stroking her hair. She tucked it behind her ear and moved away. Even if he didn't mean any harm by it, she couldn't bear to be touched by him like that after seeing him with Madison. Kyle made a grunting noise that sounded like confusion and disappointment when she turned away from him. She did her best to ignore him, trying not to let herself fall prey to more false expectations. She flinched away from him when she suddenly felt him place his strong hands on her shoulders and press up against her from behind. "It's been a long day," she said while she avoided looking him in the eye. "I'm gonna go take a shower." Without waiting to see his reaction, she hurried into the bathroom and shut the door between them.

Kyle was hurt and confused. He didn't understand why Melanie was suddenly avoiding him. He didn't know that she had seen him with Madison and how much it had hurt her. He looked at the bags that she hadn't finished unloading and hit the floor with his fist, grunting angrily. Melanie was the one he really wanted. What happened earlier between him and Madison had simply been an attempt to feel something other than the pain and constant ache of loneliness he felt whenever she wasn't around. He and Madison had both been trying to fill the emptiness inside themselves through each other. And it had worked, for a little while. But now that Melanie was rejecting him, he felt worse than ever. That terrible hollow feeling of depression crept over him again. If this was how it was going to be from now on, he'd rather she just kill him now.

Zoe stood in her own shower, carefully washing Spalding's blood from her hands. She had just turned off the water and begun to wrap her towel around her, when someone pulled the curtain open. It was Madison, figures.

"What have you been up to?" she asked.

"Nothing. Do you mind?" Zoe said as she stepped out of the shower, annoyed.

"No, I don't mind," Madison said, watching her walk over to the sink to brush her wet hair. "But you do."

"What are we talking about?" Zoe asked, grabbing another towel to finish drying her hair.

"Come on, Zoe," Madison said. "What you walked in on before."

"None of my business," Zoe said tightly.

"You brought the dude back from the dead. You must like him a little." Madison said, closing the gap between them.

"Brought you back, too," Zoe reminded her.

"Starting to wish you hadn't?" Madison asked.

"Look, it's not like we can be together anyways," Zoe said, wishing she would drop it.

"Why not? It's gonna be different with Kyle. He already died once. It'll take more than just that thing between your legs to kill him" Madison said, making a 'V' over her mouth with her fingers while she stuck her tongue out as she talked.

Zoe threw the towel in her hands back on the rack and crossed the room to stand in front of the other sink to brush her hair. "Don't be disgusting. Anyway, that wasn't what I was talking about."

"No?" Madison asked.

"No. Kyle doesn't want me. He wants Melanie. Or, at least, I thought he did before we walked in on you two," Zoe said while combing the tangles out of her hair. "I already told her she could have him."

"Hmm. That was generous of you," Madison said with a sardonic chuckle. In that case, maybe she was talking to the wrong girl.

When Madison entered Melanie's room, she found Kyle sitting on the floor outside the bathroom, leaning against the door and whimpering like a kicked puppy. She rolled her eyes. Great. Just what she needed. It looked like Zoe might have been right after all. "Come on," she told him, trying to get him back on his feet, or at least away from the door so she could go in. "I'll get her for you."

Melanie had just turned off the water and was about to reach for her towel, when Madison suddenly pulled the curtain open on her without any warning. "Do you mind?" she asked, scowling at the invasion of her privacy, as she grabbed the towel. For a moment, she was afraid it might have been Kyle. That would have been really awkward.

Madison smirked, liking what she saw. Apart from the hint of red around Melanie's eyes that showed she had been crying, that is. "No, but you do." It was such a good line she couldn't resist using it twice. Melanie wrapped the towel around herself and moved past her to grab another towel from the linen closet. "Wow. You really do like him, don't you? And here I was beginning to think you were asexual."

Melanie grit her teeth and clenched her fists. "Is there a point to this conversation?" It was taking everything she had not to beat the crap out of Madison.

"Relax. What happened between the two of us wasn't romantic. We were just trying to feel something," Madison told her. "People who haven't died wouldn't understand."

Melanie paused. "So, what? You're done with him?"

"Not even close," Madison said. "Being with him is the only time I felt anything since I came back. I'm not giving him up." She watched Melanie's frown deepen. "But that doesn't mean you have to, either." She closed the gap between them to look her in the eyes. The truth was she liked Melanie. She had been the only one who noticed how much she was suffering after her rape.

"Right. We'll just take turns," Melanie said angrily. "He isn't a toy, Madison."

Madison just smiled. "Come here," she said, gently taking Melanie's hand in hers to lead her out of the bathroom. Melanie noted with annoyance that this was the second time she had to leave without brushing her hair first. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Kyle waiting on the bed, sitting up with his shirt still unbuttoned. His gaze was intense, and his eyes darkened when he saw her standing there in only a towel. Madison walked over to sit next to him on the bed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Kyle blinked and looked back at Melanie, keeping his eyes fixed on her. She could see the desire burning in them and it sent a chill up her spine. But it wasn't unpleasant. She could feel her cheeks and another part of her heating up. Madison looked at her and smiled as she held out a hand, inviting her to join them. Kyle copied her movements. He did want her, Melanie could see that now. The tension between them was palpable. She could feel it in her bones. Every nerve in her body hummed with excitement. She didn't want to share him. She didn't think she would ever be the kind of woman who would enter into a relationship like this. But it was too late to turn back now. She was in too deep. She loved him too much to let go. She wanted to be with Kyle, even if it meant sharing him with another woman. She was still afraid of getting hurt, but she reached out to take his hand anyway.

Words could not describe how relieved Kyle was when Melanie didn't reject him again. He wanted to be close to her. He wanted to love her. He wanted to show her how much she meant to him in the only way he knew how in his current condition. He was careful to be gentle with her as he pulled her onto the bed. His breath caught in his throat when her towel hit the floor. The two young lovers gazed at each other in wonder, and, together, they slipped into a deep, unprecedented intimacy from which they would never recover.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The Sacred Taking**

* * *

Zoe, Melanie, and Madison stalked through the night in search of Queenie, who they had been sent out to retrieve by Cordelia. According to Melanie's tarot card reading and the coordinates indicated on the map by Cordelia's pendulum, they should find her under a bridge or an overpass in this area. Melanie could feel Madison's eyes on her while they walked. It made her feel awkward. While Melanie had enjoyed being with Kyle, she still wasn't comfortable with Madison having been there, too. Kyle seemed to have noticed this, though, because he kept maneuvering himself to block Madison whenever she attempted to touch her too intimately during their little ménage à trois. Although she supposed Madison was trying to be kind in her own way, part of Melanie still resented having to share her first time with someone she actually loved with a third party.

"She's here," Zoe said when she sensed Queenie's presence, grateful for an excuse to break the weird tension between the other two girls. As they drew closer, they could make out what Queenie was doing under there in the dark. She was beating a man into submission with a wooden plank that had some nails sticking out of it.

 _Queenie._ The black witch looked up when she heard Zoe's voice echo in her head like a whispering hiss. She was surprised to see them there. They were all dressed in black again. Melanie was wearing vintage burnout velvet kimono-style jacket with a rose pattern over a structured black tank top with brass buttons, black skinny jeans, and a pair of black velour loafers with a silver moon embroidered on one and a gold sun on the other. On her head she wore a black bowler hat. Her makeup was dark, and her hair was down. Around her neck was a black velvet choker with a silver crescent moon-shaped charm.

"What the hell are you doing?" Zoe demanded as they stopped to confront her.

"Nothing you'd understand," Queenie replied, giving the man on the ground another whack. "This is voodoo."

"You're a witch," Zoe reminded her. "We need you back in the coven."

Queenie looked at them, her eyes lingering the longest on Melanie. "Marie Laveau set me straight. You were never my friends."

"Of course she would say that. She's our enemy," Melanie reminded her. "It's in her best interest to divide us."

"No. She's your enemy," Queenie said. "And you don't even like me anymore, so don't pretend you want me back."

"Oh, boo-friggin'-hoo," Madison said. "You switched teams because girls were mean to you? Fiona slit my throat. You don't see me bitching out." Queenie glanced back at the man she had been beating.

"We know our coven's a shit shot right now," Zoe said. "But things are changing. A new Supreme is rising." Madison glanced sideways at her.

"And who's that? You?" Queenie asked with a sarcastic smile, making Zoe frown. "Fiona filled my head with that bullshit, too." Zoe, Madison, and Melanie exchanged a glance. Melanie wondered if that was how she had convinced Queenie to help her frame Myrtle. "That bitch will say anything if it gets her what she wants." Queenie dropped the board in her hands and pulled a wicked dagger from her jacket. Melanie frowned and narrowed her eyes, ready to fight back if it came to blows, while Zoe and Madison instinctively took a step back. "This isn't for you. Yet," Queenie said, pointing the knife at them before turning to kneel down beside the groaning and immobilized man on the ground. Then she plunged the knife straight down into his chest. Madison and Zoe gasped, while Melanie raised an eyebrow.

"Holy shit," Madison said, stunned. She had never pegged Queenie for a murderer.

"You just killed an innocent man!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Innocent? Shows what you know," Queenie said while she proceeded to carve the man's chest open.

"Go ahead, then. Enlighten us," Melanie said.

Queenie plunged her hand into the bleeding cavity and started feeling around inside. "This bastard raped three schoolgirls that we know of, probably more. Marie Laveau needs a dark heart, and I'm gonna give it to her." Melanie crossed her arms and Zoe and Madison watched with wide eyes when Queenie pulled her hand out, clutching the man's bloody heart. It was still beating.

Queenie smiled as she stood up and turned to face them again. "Voodoo Queen is making a special potion to give me more powers. Fiona ever do that? Huh?" Madison glanced nervously at the others. She didn't understand how Melanie could still be so calm after seeing all this shit. "Voodoo, witchcraft. This town ain't big enough for the two of us. War is coming. And you're gonna lose."

Telling Cordelia about Queenie's decision to defect hadn't been easy. She had been sorely disappointed. They all were. It was late, almost past midnight, so Cordelia dismissed them so they could get some rest. They were all going to need their strength to face what was coming. Melanie had decided to use the opportunity to help Kyle take a shower, because he was starting to really need one. Once she had everything ready, she led him into the bathroom and started removing his clothes. Kyle started trying to take her tank top off, but he still had trouble with buttons. "No," she said carefully, removing his hands. Kyle frowned. "Madison isn't here." Melanie didn't want to share him, but they had an agreement.

"No," Kyle said, touching his forehead to hers as he pulled her closer. He was fully aware that Madison wasn't there. He could tell Melanie hadn't enjoyed the threesome they had earlier as much as he had hoped. He wanted to be alone with her, so he could make up for that. He wanted her to know how special she was to him. "You… Want you."

Melanie could feel her eyes starting to get misty. She held him close and rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat for a moment. Then, she stood up on her toes a little and kissed him on the lips. "I want you, too." The next thing she knew, they were both on the floor, tangled up with each other. Kyle had pounced the moment he had her permission. He was kissing her neck while he ripped open her top to get at her, sending most of the buttons skipping across the room. But, at the moment, Melanie was far too happy to care.

Out in the swamp, Misty had been sleeping peacefully alone in her bed, but she was suddenly startled awake when she sensed another's presence in her cabin. She gasped in surprise, but quickly calmed down when she saw that it was just the woman she had saved the other day looming over her bed. "Oh. Aw, you probably have no idea where you are." She sat up and reached out to comfort the scarred and mud-covered woman. "You've been through a terrifying ordeal, but you came back. You're safe now."

"Not likely, my dear," Myrtle replied in a raspy voice. "There's a man in the woods with a gun circling the shack. I saw the assassin when he nearly stepped on my face." An unpleasant experience, to be sure, but at least it had served to alert her to the impending threat.

Misty blinked and looked away when she realized something rather disturbing. "Do you hear that?"

"No," Myrtle said.

"The cicadas have stopped singing," Misty said worriedly. That was always a sure sign of danger. It was so quiet that she could hear the sound of her own heart beating faster with fear. Myrtle blinked and remained calm while they both continued to listen, straining their ears for any other sounds that could serve as a warning. They heard footsteps outside. Misty quickly jumped out of her bed, and Myrtle grabbed her to perform transmutation and bring them both to safety. They got out just in the nick of time. From a distance, they heard the assassin kick in the door of Misty's cabin and fire his gun.

Melanie panted, breathing heavily as she and Kyle sat with their backs against the tub. She rested her head on his shoulder while he held her hand, feeling sore, but in a good way, and completely satisfied. He had been a lot more passionate this time. The pain, the pleasure, his touch, his affection—everything had been so unbelievably intense. It was amazing. She never knew anything could feel this good. Her toes curled again at the memory of what had just happened. Melanie blushed when she caught the smirk on Kyle's face as he watched her, looking very proud while he admired his handiwork. "Now we both need a shower," she mumbled, feeling oddly shy after everything they had done together, but still glowing with happiness. She turned the water on and they climbed into the tub together. Melanie started to hum quietly while she gently massaged her chamomile-scented shampoo into Kyle's hair. His eyes widened in surprise when he recognized the tune. It was _Hold The Line_ by Toto. He turned his head to stare at her in awe.

"Ah. Be careful. I don't want to get it in your eyes," she said with a small frown. Her expression lightened when she saw the look on his face, and she blinked in confusion. "What is it?"

Kyle opened his mouth, but the words wouldn't come out. If he'd had full command of his speech, he might have asked her to marry him right then and there. Since words failed him, he had to settle for another kiss. His heart skipped and his stomach fluttered with butterflies when she smiled after they parted. It was so bright that her whole face lit up, and it made her eyes sparkle.

"If you don't cut that out," she said with a laugh, "we'll never make it out of here." Kyle smiled. That was fine by him.

Melanie and the rest of the remaining students gathered in Cordelia's office after breakfast the next morning for a war meeting. Melanie had left Kyle with some hand-eye coordination exercises for him to try with a stress ball after throwing on a black short-sleeved button up blouse that she tucked into a pair of black cigarette pants, a vintage Schiaparelli evening belt with a clasp shaped like hands, and her black velour loafers again. She had also put on a little makeup for a more classic look, a black headband, and her little gold triangle necklace peeked out from under her collar. Nan rushed back into the office, looking distressed. "She's hurting him," she said, obviously referring to Luke. She had surprised the others earlier by suddenly running out to listen at another window when she heard something from the neighbors.

"Sit down, Nan," Cordelia said firmly. "Let go of everything outside this room right now." Nan did as she was told and took a seat. "Losing Queenie is a terrible failure. My failure. But as of now, she's dead to me. And no one else will slip through the cracks. Let's get back to the battle plan." The doorbell rang.

"It begins with killing Fiona. We can't afford to wait," Zoe said.

"I should be the one. I want to slit her throat," Madison said.

"No. You have to stay hidden until it's time," Cordelia told her. "She cannot know you're back. We only have one shot. That's it. Our plan has to be flawless. So does the execution. Failure turns this into a suicide mission. Melanie, any ideas?" Before she could answer, their conversation was interrupted again by the sound of the doorbell. "Where the hell is Spalding?" Zoe and Melanie exchanged a sideway glance. "Delphine?"

"I'll get it," Zoe said, and got up to leave the room.

"What the hell happened to the staff in this house _!_?" Cordelia called out, annoyed.

"I think we should invoke the 'Taking'," Melanie said, answering her earlier question.

Cordelia moved her head in her direction, surprised she knew about that. "You know what that involves, right?" This wasn't going to be easy.

"Yes. But I think there's a way for us to pull it off. You said Fiona told you she had cancer. She hides it well, but she must be in a lot of pain. Pain can make a person vulnerable. And we have a secret weapon that she doesn't know about." Melanie replied, glancing at Madison.

Madison gave her a confused look in return. "What are you looking at me for?"

"I see," Cordelia said, understanding what Melanie was implying. "That just might work."

Someone started knocking rapidly on the front door as Zoe approached it. She pulled the door open and was surprised to see who it was. "Misty?" she asked, taking in the other witch's frightened expression and disheveled appearance. The swamp witch's bare feet were covered in mud.

"You have to save me," Misty said anxiously, rushing forward into the house. She quickly shut the door behind her and grabbed Zoe. "I knew the world could be a dark and evil place. It drove me to my haven in the swamp. I had my Stevie. My garden." She lowered her voice to a whisper as they moved deeper into the house. "I tried to disappear into nature. But I have been found." Zoe listened while she recounted the attack on her and her new friend by the mysterious gunman. "We hid in the swamp through the night. Made our way here when I was sure he was gone," Misty concluded, glancing around nervously.

"Who's there?" Cordelia asked, stepping out of her office to see their visitor.

"A witch. Seeking safety," Zoe replied as she approached them.

"Somebody is looking to kill me," Misty said anxiously. Melanie emerged just in time to see Cordelia hold a hand out and Misty decide to take it. She was surprised when Cordelia suddenly gasped and her eyes went wide.

"You're Misty Day," Cordelia said, having just gleaned the knowledge from another vision. Zoe and Melanie glanced at Cordelia and then each other, wondering how she knew. "You were set on fire and left for dead. Whatever troubles you had, they are ours now. You're under the protection of this coven. This is your house."

"Could my friend stay, also?" Misty asked. "I left her out back in the greenhouse."

"How did you know?" Melanie asked Cordelia quietly, holding her hand, as they walked to the greenhouse with the others to meet Misty's friend.

"I gained the gift of Second Sight after I was blinded," Cordelia replied. "I sometimes have visions when I touch people now." This news concerned Melanie. Not just because it could be a difficult power to live with, but because she now knew that the secret about Kyle's existence was in danger of being discovered. But she didn't pull away. She wouldn't do that to Cordelia. Melanie decided to trust her. Part of her had known from the start that they couldn't keep him a secret forever. It was just a question of when and how to tell Cordelia about him before she found out on her own. Melanie decided she would tell Cordelia after they had finished dealing with Fiona. She already had enough to worry about at the moment.

"Hello?" Cordelia called as they entered the greenhouse. "Don't worry, you're amongst friends." Melanie's heart leaped into her throat when she caught sight of a familiar shade of red hair.

"Of course I am, Cordelia," Myrtle said as she turned to face them. She stepped forward to close the gap between them. "So long as Fiona isn't with you."

"Myrtle? Oh, my God," Cordelia gasped when she heard her voice and felt her hand on her arm. Melanie was speechless. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Poor choice of words, girl," Myrtle said, pulling her into a hug. "But given my wretched appearance, maybe it's a good thing you're blind as a butter knife." Her face still bore scarred tissue from the damage done to her by the fire. It was Myrtle's turned to be surprised when Melanie nearly tackled her with another hug the moment she released Cordelia. Such an open display of affection from the normally stoic girl touched her deeply. She was proud to note that Melanie had finally started putting more effort into her appearance, making her look lovelier than ever.

"How did your hair grow back so quick?" Nan asked.

Myrtle chuckled. "Oh, little bird, I've been buying in bulk from North Korea for years." It had simply been a matter of stopping by her hotel room to collect some of her things on the way over. "What have they done to you?" she asked Cordelia quietly. The poor girl looked terrible, like she had been barely sleeping.

"I've lost my eyes. You were burned at the stake, and our own Supreme murdered one of her witches. I'm afraid this coven has fallen on hard times," Cordelia said.

"Or maybe it's the best of times," Myrtle said. "Resurrection is a feat more difficult than all the tests of the Seven Wonders. Those of us who have recently died have been brought back to life by the hand of one person here. Misty Day." She turned to face the Cajun witch, who had begun to water the plants while they talked. "Behold, our next Supreme." Misty turned and looked at them with a nervous smile, wondering why they were all suddenly staring at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Our journey starts today," a male voice said over the speaker of Zoe's laptop when Melanie started up the program that she had downloaded. Zoe had leant it to her to help with Kyle's speech therapy. The one they were using was technically for kids, but it should serve as a good beginner's level exercise for him. "Sort some sounds and read the books, and we'll be on our way." Kyle looked up at Melanie while the voice continued and leaned in to kiss her.

"I can't," Melanie said regretfully, leaning back as she placed a hand on his chest to stop him and used the other to pause the program. "Not right now. We're doing a thing downstairs, so you have to stay here, okay?" Kyle looked down, disappointed. "And practice talking. So you can finally tell me what's going on in your head," she added, giving him a smile. Kyle looked up at her and smiled back. He liked the sound of that. There were lots of things he wanted to tell her. Melanie tensed when Madison opened the door and entered the room.

"Relax," Madison told her, smiling. "We're sharing him, remember." She crossed the room to join them on the bed, sitting down on the other side of Kyle as she led him into a kiss. Melanie bit her lip and clasped her hands together tightly while she turned her head away to avoid having to watch too closely. Kyle turned his head to look back at her as soon as the kiss ended and noted how unhappy she looked. He slid his hand onto her knee, caressing her leg in an attempt to comfort her. "What's this?" Madison asked, sighing, when she noticed the computer.

"We're going to be busy all night. Now he has something to do," Melanie said.

"Why can't he watch porn and jerk off like any other guy?" Madison asked. Kyle glanced at her. That did have a certain appeal.

"And why can't he learn something so he can rejoin society and have a life?" Melanie countered. Kyle looked back at her and started rubbing circles over her knee with his thumb. He definitely wanted to get better, but he wasn't as optimistic about the possibility of him being able to rejoin normal society as she seemed to be.

Madison scoffed as she looked away from Melanie and sighed as she looked back at Kyle. "Be good, baby," She told Kyle, rubbing his shoulder. "We'll have fun later." She let her eyes linger on Melanie for a moment before standing up to leave. Melanie started the program on the computer again and gave Kyle's hand a reassuring squeeze and flashed him a small smile before getting up to leave, too. Kyle wished she didn't have to go. Melanie paused in the doorway and came back. Kyle looked up and watched her grab a pair of headphones from a drawer in the night table next to the bed. Melanie kneeled down and plugged them in so the sounds from the computer wouldn't draw any unwanted attention while she was gone and put the headphones over his ears. She smiled when he gasped quietly and looked up in wonder when the sound suddenly returned. It was actually pretty cute. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek and left to take care of business downstairs, making sure to shut the door behind her.

Myrtle withdrew another crimson robe from the trunk that they had taken out of storage and shook the dust out. They were going to perform the ceremony in the main room, surrounded by the portraits of all the previous Supremes who had led their coven. "Mothballs and history. It's a cocktail I swoon for." She helped Misty put the robe on, while Melanie helped Cordelia with hers.

"I feel like a queen," Misty said with a smile.

"How does putting on this smelly old stuff help us get rid of Fiona?" Madison asked impatiently.

"It's part of a ceremony called the 'Sacred Taking,' which allows for the ascension of the new Supreme," Cordelia explained while Myrtle handed Zoe and Melanie their black headdresses.

"And we're sure Misty's the next Supreme?" Zoe asked.

"I'm certain of her credentials," Myrtle said. Nan smiled. "She's brought back more people from the dead than Jesus Christ." She handed Melanie another headdress to put on Cordelia.

"Disappointed?" Madison asked Zoe with a smirk. "You thought it was you, didn't you?"

"Well, I knew it wasn't you, because when Fiona cut your throat, you died," Zoe retorted coolly. Madison made a face at her in response.

"It could be any one of us," Nan said.

"Not really. It's pretty obvious," Madison said with a pointed glance in her direction.

"And what does that mean?" Nan asked, offended by the implied insult.

"Being the Supreme isn't something to be wished for," Cordelia said. "It's not a gift. It's a burden. How many of these women lived happy lives? They had power, but with it came the crushing responsibility of the coven." Myrtle removed the sacred dagger from the trunk and handed it to Cordelia. "They all bowed under the weight, except my mother, who ran from it."

"Can I say something?" Misty asked after a brief moment of tense silence. "I don't want to be the Supreme." Madison stared at her and scoffed silently in disbelief. Personally, Melanie agreed with Misty. Being Supreme sounded like too much of a hassle. If she had to be a leader, she would prefer to be the puppet master who worked to help the public figurehead from the shadows, only intervening to take the lead when absolutely necessary.

"Nobody gets to choose," Cordelia said. "When Fiona dies, whoever it is… will be." She pulled the lace veil down to cover her face, and the rest of them followed suit. "Now, give me your hands. We're ready to begin." They all formed a circle and held hands with the person next to them. Melanie found herself between Zoe and Cordelia. "The Sacred Taking is a ritual used in times of crisis to ensure the survival of the coven. It has been invoked three times in our history. The first, during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692." They all raised their hands carefully repositioned to touch open palm to open palm without breaking the circle. "The coven had decided to flee south, away from Salem and the persecution of the Court of Oyer and Terminer." Energy began to flow through the circle as they passed their power from person to person through their breath. "The reigning Supreme at that time, Prudence Mather, suffered from consumption, and knew she would be too weak to make the journey. She gathered her witches and invoked the Sacred Taking." They passed the knife around, each using it to make a small cut on the tip of their index finger. Then they all reached forward to connect the circle by blood, letting drops of the crimson liquid fall to the floor in the center of the formation. "It's the most hallowed sacrifice a Supreme can make. Prudence took her own life, which allowed a new Supreme to rise and lead them to safety."

"Can you imagine those poor Salem witches," Myrtle said as they joined palms again, "traveling all the way down here in covered wagons without a proper charcuterie platter or a bidet? Absolutely savage!"

"Does nobody see the flaw in this plan?" Madison asked, dropping her hands. "You really expect that narcissistic bitch to kill herself for this coven?"

"Not without a push," Cordelia said, turning her head slightly in Melanie's direction since she had contributed largely to the plan they were about to enact.

"This is where you come in, Madison," Melanie said. "You're our secret weapon. It's time to put your acting skills to good use." Madison smirked. She liked the sound of that.

After a quick costume change, Madison strolled into Fiona's room while the older witch was throwing up in the bathroom and put on _Season of the Witch_ by Donovan. Then she started dancing, casually twirling around in her flowing red dress to show off the confidence she should be feeling as the new Supreme. The bathroom door opened, and Fiona came out, stopping to stare at her in shock when their eyes met. Madison started advancing toward her, still dancing to the music. She sighed when Fiona started rubbing her eyes, like she thought she was seeing things. "I just love this room, especially the walk-in closet. I need that. And my Warhol Mao would look great on this wall," Madison told her, taking her time picking out the perfect spot before pointing at the wall opposite the bed. She laughed at the bewildered expression on Fiona's face.

"Madison?" Fiona asked, squinting to make sure she was really there.

"Surprise, bitch," Madison said with a small shrug and a sweet smile. "I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me. Hmm. How soon can you have all of your stuff out of here? I really need my own room. Oh, and that bed. I can't wait to break it in." she plopped down on the king-sized mattress and started rolling around. "God knows it's not getting any action from you, Grandma." She laughed, imagining the fun she could have on it with Kyle and Melanie.

"What are you?" Fiona asked. Madison sat up and lifted one of her legs in the air, admiring how sexy her heels made her calves look before glancing back at the older witch. "Who brought you back?"

"Are you deaf?" Madison asked with mock pity, holding herself with a regal air. "I'm the next Supreme. I brought myself back." She chuckled and stood up again, moving to face her. "Looks like you've got some 'splainin' to do. Maybe we should call the council. Oh, wait. You killed Myrtle, too." Fiona, who had reached for a cigarette, froze when she heard that. "Well, that won't matter. We all know the playbook on this. You killed me, so we burn you at the stake." Fiona removed the cigarette from her mouth. "I'm gonna bring marshmallows and graham crackers to make s'mores." Madison laughed again.

"Does Cordelia know?" Fiona asked.

"That you killed me? Everyone knows. You'll be hashbrowns by this time tomorrow. Course, you're half-dead already," Madison told her, taking in her sickly appearance and balding head.

"Get out!" Fiona growled, pointing the hand holding the cigarette at the door, which only creaked open a couple of inches in response.

Madison looked at the sad display and sighed. "Poor Fifi. As my powers grow… yours fade away. Let me break this down for you—and stop me if I talk too fast." She walked over to the nightstand by the bed. "I'm in, you're out." She pulled open the drawer and reached in to remove a bottle of prescription medication. "And you can leave this world one of two ways. You can burn at the stake tomorrow, which would be messy and painful, although very entertaining." Fiona glared at her. Madison removed the top from the bottle and walked back over to her. "Or… you can swallow these pills and go to sleep." She poured the whole bottle's worth into her hand and closed her fingers around the pills. "Stop suffering. And stop our suffering. The choice is yours." With that said and done, Madison headed for the door, pausing to look back and give Fiona one last smile and a laugh before shutting it and leaving her alone with her handful of pills and dark thoughts.

"Going somewhere?" Myrtle asked the fading Supreme when she threw the pills on the bed and grabbed a suitcase to start packing.

Fiona stopped and looked up at her in shock for a moment. "Is everyone back from the dead, or have I already died and gone to heaven? Well, I suppose it would be hell, you know."

"I've been resurrected by our new Supreme, young Madison," Myrtle said, stepping further into the room. "She rather reminds me of you in your youth, thin as a pin with a dreadful case of the 'me, me, mes.'"

Fiona laughed and moved to grab her dresses from the closet to continue packing. "Yes. Well, I wish her the best. I will be… on the island… of Patmos."

"That's not one of the choices, darling. Take your own life or be burned, I believe it was," Myrtle reminded her while lounging on the loveseat before transmuting over the chaise lounge.

"No, I'm not ready," Fiona said, stuffing her clothes in the suitcase. She sniffed, wiping her nose and eyes as she started to get emotional. "I have finally found someone I belong to."

"No details, darling. I couldn't bear it," Myrtle said.

"I am very ill, Myrtle," Fiona said, approaching her. "I won't last long. And he wants to take care of me."

"You haven't thought through this, Fiona," Myrtle told her. "Maybe it's your weakened state." She conjured up a vision of what might be. Fiona looked back at the bed when she heard the sound of footsteps echoing through the room. She saw herself lying in a medical bed that had replaced her beautiful four-poster bed, decrepit and repulsive to look at. Like a living skeleton. Her lover was sitting in a chair off to the side, reassuring her that she was still his beautiful angel. "This dream of a perfect love you're clinging to is just a nasty trick life is playing on you. You will die the same way you lived your life—alone and disappointed by everyone." Fiona pursed her lips as the vision continued. Her lover had come to wipe her forehead with a cloth, but he soon recoiled after staring at her bruised arm full of dark veins. She asked him what was the matter. But he wouldn't say. He wouldn't look at her. "He won't stay till the end. They promise, but… they don't."

"You are nothing but an envious old bitch," Fiona told Myrtle, who merely let out a soft groan in response and leaned back while they watched the scene unfolding before them. Clumps of Fiona's blonde hair littered the bed. Only a few wispy strands remained on her head, and an oxygen mask had been strapped to her face to help her breath. She looked over and saw that the chair was now empty. Her lover was packing his saxophone. She removed the mask to ask where he was going. He told her that it was taking too long for her to die. She asked him not to leave, but he said he couldn't stand the smells anymore. Her breath, her piss, her shit—he said the whole room smelled of death and headed for the door. She promised him that she would die soon, begging him not to leave as he shut the door behind him. She tried to get up to follow him and crumpled to the floor in a pathetic heap, all dignity long lost and forgotten. The sight of her wasted body and spirit and the thought of her broken heart brought tears to Fiona's eyes.

Misty, Melanie, Zoe, and Nan were sitting halfway down the flight of stairs while they waited for Madison and Myrtle to finish their parts in driving Fiona to her death. "How'd it go?" Zoe asked Madison when she rejoined them.

"Boffo," Madison answered. "She thinks I'm the next Supreme."

"Why can't it be me?" Nan asked.

"Because you have no style and your pits smell like fish sticks," Madison answered bluntly.

Nan looked at Melanie and Zoe. "Do you think I could be the next Supreme?" Melanie wasn't going to rule out the possibility, but she thought Misty or Zoe were more likely candidates. Zoe avoided eye contact. She would never say it out loud, but she kind of agreed with Madison. Nan glanced at Misty. Another unfavorable response. "You guys suck balls," Nan told them. She stood up and walked down the stairs, deciding she didn't want to be around them anymore. They heard the front door open below and realized she was leaving the house.

"Nan…" Zoe called after her with a sigh, but it was too late. Nan wasn't in the mood for excuses. She shut the door behind her and headed over to see Luke.

Myrtle watched while Fiona primped and applied some makeup. She had put on a black dress and wrapped a silk scarf around her head like a turban to hide her thinning hair. "You're preparing the corpse."

Fiona looked up from the silver hand mirror for a moment and sighed. "Be a dear, will you? Come hold this mirror for me. My hand shakes so from the meds." Myrtle crossed the room and did as she asked. She could afford to grant her enemy this small request. Every woman should look her best when facing her fate. Fiona smiled as she looked at her. "Life is a carnival, Myrtle." She laughed. "Oh, my God. Do you remember Levon? The drummer with The Band. Great God, he was something. I was so crazy about him." She chuckled. "We had such a wild six months together in Woodstock." She swept some blush onto her cheeks. "Anyway, my point is… some play it safe on the merry-go-round, others go for the thrills on the roller coaster. I mean, I could sit here and boo-hoo my choices, torment myself… over the selfish detours I have taken." She patted her face with the powder puff. "But what good would it do now? Hmm?" She took the mirror back. "Do me a favor, get me my fur from the closet." Myrtle went to do as she asked. "They were all over me that season," Fiona continued, applying some lipstick. She chuckled. "But Levon, mm… Oh, my." She smiled. "It was preemptive, I suppose, my leaving. Get out of town before they run you out on a rail." She stood up and Myrtle helped her put on her beautiful fur coat. "I've been rigorous about not staying too long at the party. Bad form. Know when it's over." She smoothed down the front of her coat and moved to admire the full effect in a mirror on the wall. "Look after my beautiful Delia, will you? My most… terrible failure. One that'll torment me into eternity, I imagine." She walked over to the bed to gather up the pills.

"And you've chosen the perfect color for you lips. I could never pull off the corals," Myrtle said, admiring her sartorial elegance. She may not like Fiona, but she had to admit, the witch had style. She watched while Fiona swallowed the pills with a glass of water.

Fiona set the glass down when she was done and turned to face her. "Make sure they hang my portrait in the place I chose. Don't let them store me in the basement with that disgraced… Russian witch," she said as she lay down on the bed, adjusting her coat and her legs into the pose she wanted. She sighed, closed her eyes, and waited to drift off into eternal rest. Myrtle stared at her old enemy for a moment, then headed over to her dresser. She opened Fiona's jewelry box.

"Half of it's paste, but goddamn half of it's good," Myrtle said, emptying its contents into her purse before leaving the room.

Now that the only thing they had left to do was to wait, Myrtle, Cordelia, and all of the girls except for Nan had gathered in the sitting room. Misty was sitting in a chair near the fire. Madison was stretched out on the sofa with Melanie sitting on the floor, leaning on the coffee table with her head resting on her hands while she stared into the dancing flames in the fireplace. Zoe was sitting in a chair near her, across the coffee table from Misty's. And Cordelia was in a chair near Myrtle, who was sitting at the piano and playing Schubert's _Sonata in B-flat major_.

"How about something a little less doleful, Myrtle?" Cordelia suggested.

"It's Schubert's last sonata. It's all about acceptance of death," Myrtle replied while she continued to play.

"This is so incredibly stressful and weird," Zoe said, glancing around the room. "You don't feel anything?" she asked Misty, whose foot hadn't stopped twitching since they sat down. Melanie glanced at the other witch, too.

Misty readjusted her position so that she was sitting on her heels in the chair. "My stomach feels like a storm's about to hit, but it's probably just my nerves." She glanced at Madison, who was also staring at her now. "I'm not exactly what you call a natural born leader." Madison smiled and went back to surfing twitter and instagram on her phone. She believed that.

"Neither was King George, but one rises to the occasion," Myrtle said.

"Your feet should be getting warmer," Cordelia told the girls. Misty moved and sat with her legs in front of her, reaching forward to feel her toes.

"I'm told it starts as a tingle in the cooch," Myrtle added. Melanie deadpanned, while Madison cast a skeptic glance at the older witch. Misty stopped feeling her feet and furrowed her brow. No way she was checking there.

"For me, it started as a classic Migraine," Fiona said, causing them all to freeze and go on instant alert when she walked into the room, still perfectly alive. A feeling of cold dread began to spread through their spines. They all knew this could mean only one thing. Their plan had failed. They had lost their chance. "Auras, nausea, pain behind the eyes." Fiona pressed down on the button on top of a silver cigarette dispenser and removed one for herself. Cordelia fought to stay calm while her mother stood beside her with one hand on the back of her chair. "You know, Myrtle, Schubert was emotional, not mawkish." Fiona used her pyrokinesis to light the cigarette. "So where… is this gifted little swamp witch that everyone's been talking about?" Melanie blinked, wondering who had told her about Misty, while Madison and Zoe glanced at Misty's chair, only to find it empty. They all realized they could hear sirens outside. They got up to find out what was going on. They saw an ambulance and cop cars parked outside their new neighbor's house with the lights flashing. Fiona was first out the door, followed by Zoe and Melanie. Cordelia waited for them by the school gates so she wouldn't get lost in the crowd that had already begun to gather outside. Fiona managed to slip past the yellow tape and the officers that were guarding the perimeter easily, but Zoe and Melanie were quickly stopped and sent back with a minimal amount of information.

"They think maybe it was a robbery," Zoe announced as they came back to Cordelia.

"And my mother? Misty?" Cordelia asked.

"We saw Fiona go inside," Zoe answered.

"Lead me," Cordelia said, holding out one of her hands. Melanie took it and helped guide her along as they started moving toward the other house again. Cordelia stopped abruptly when she sensed something odd. Melanie felt it, too. "Wait," Cordelia said, making Zoe pause and look back at them. "There's something here." Very carefully, Melanie helped Cordelia squat down so she could feel around in the edge of the garden. Melanie's eyes widened when she saw that the item she retrieved was a silver bullet, and Cordelia gasped and started panting as another vision came to her. She saw the attack. Hands loading a sniper rifle. Shots being fired into their neighbor's house from a car. Joan Ramsey being killed. Cordelia gasped, and Melanie and Zoe had to move fast to catch her as she fell. "This was no robbery," Cordelia said once she had regained her composure. "He was after us." Melanie frowned, disturbed by this turn of events. She knew what that bullet meant. The witch hunters were back.

Meanwhile, Kyle had made a fair amount of progress with the speech therapy program. A bell _clanged_ over the video. "This road goes two ways," the voice of the narrator said. "See if you can guess which road the friends will take." Kyle tapped the screen and hit his head. He was getting tired, and the more tired he felt, the more impatient he became and the harder it was to focus.

"This…" he said, pointing at the road he wanted to choose on the screen while trying to get his brain to transfer the answer through his hands onto the keyboard.

"This road goes two ways," the male narrator repeated.

"Click on the microphone button and say the word," a female voice instructed him as Melanie opened the door and entered the room. Kyle looked up and immediately put the laptop aside so he could greet her with a hug. Melanie wrapped her arms around him and held him close. Kyle could tell from the way she was breathing that she was upset. He moved to kiss her, hoping it would help her feel better, but she avoided it and took a step back. Kyle looked down, feeling hurt and upset by the rejection. He started to move away.

Melanie quickly reached out to him and removed his headphones. "It's not you," she reassured him. Kyle looked up at her. "We're under attack. None of us are safe. I have to get you out of here," she said urgently, concerned for his safety.

"No!" Kyle said immediately, grabbing her shoulders. He didn't want to be separated again. He wasn't leaving her, especially not while she was in danger. "This… road… goes…two… ways." Her expression softened as she looked at him.

"What does that mean, Kyle?" Melanie asked. She was pretty sure she understood, but she wanted to be sure. She didn't want to jump to the wrong conclusion. Kyle looked at her and took a deep breath, gathering his courage while he fought to get out the words he had been wanting so desperately to tell her for the last couple of days. "I… love… you." Melanie's heart melted, and her stomach fluttered as he looked her in the eyes. She could feel her heart pounding with excitement, fueling the rush of euphoria she felt upon hearing those words.

"I love you, too," she said, and leaned in to give him another hug and a kiss, feeling so happy that she could've cried.

Standing in the hall outside the room, Madison was crying. She had heard everything through the crack in the door when she came to see if they were up for round three. Now, instead of affection, she felt hurt and betrayal. And anger.

Cordelia was sitting at the kitchen table, having a cup of coffee for breakfast that morning, when she heard someone else enter the room.

"Where are all the servants?" Fiona asked, strolling into the kitchen to fix herself something for breakfast. "I might have slept until noon. You didn't really make this coffee all on your own, did you?"

"I'm not entirely helpless, mother," Cordelia replied tensely.

"Oh, no, of course not," Fiona said, pouring herself a cup. "Though I do think we might move your bed downstairs. I mean, we wouldn't want you to have a… accident coming down those steps."

"Wouldn't we?" Cordelia asked. "I'd much rather be found at the bottom of those stairs than be burned at the stake. According to Auntie Myrtle, that just hurts like hell."

"Oh, Cordelia. You don't really think I'd do something like that to my own daughter?" Fiona asked.

"Cut the shit, Fiona," Cordelia told her. "We both know I tried to orchestrate your death last night."

"Yes. And very nearly succeeded," Fiona said.

"If you're waiting for me to get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness, you can forget it. It's not gonna happen," Cordelia said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Beg? I might throw you a parade," Fiona said, surprising her. "What you and your girls demonstrated last night was real grit." She walked over to the table and set her mug down on the table. "I finally have hope for the future of this coven." Cordelia felt Fiona's hand on her shoulder. "And you, my dear…" Cordelia turned her head in her mother's direction. There was no vision this time. "… I'm so proud of." Cordelia looked away as her lip began to tremble. As far as she could remember, this was the first time her mother had ever given her any real praise. "You really are my daughter."

Cordelia turned to her again. "Now you're proud? Hell… if I knew how easy it was to win your approval, I would have made an attempt on your life way before now." She shared a laugh with her mother and sniffed, holding in her tears of relief and happiness.

"What's this?" Fiona asked, reaching out to pick up the small metal object she spotted on the table. She regretted doing so the moment she touched it and dropped it immediately when she felt the dangerous energy it possessed.

"A silver bullet. I found it last night in the street." Cordelia said.

"It's blessed," Fiona said.

Cordelia nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Witch hunters. More of them," Fiona concluded.

"I'll admit, when I found it, I was glad you were still with us," Cordelia told her. "We need you now, Fiona. More than ever." The doorbell rang.

After a moment, Fiona sighed and stood up to answer it. "Where are the servants?" Cordelia thought that was a good question. It felt like days since she'd last heard from Spalding or Delphine. She stood up to follow her mother to the door, but only got as far as the dining room when she heard the door shut and her mother's footsteps approaching the dinner table. She heard her set something down on it.

"What is it?" Cordelia asked.

"I don't know," Fiona said. Cordelia listened while her mother pulled what sounded like the flaps on a cardboard box open and turned her head in her direction when she thought she heard her gasp.

Then, from within the box, she heard the wheezing of a raspy voice. "Help."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Head**

* * *

Cordelia reached for the frying pan to cook herself an omelet. Then she felt her way to the fridge, found the egg carton, and carried it over to the counter by the sink. Myrtle watched while she opened the cabinets and reached for a bowl, knocking the carton of eggs off the counter in the process. Cordelia huffed in frustration and started feeling around for the towel that should have been hanging from the front of the sink. It wasn't there. "Goddamn it! Could people please not move things _!_?" she yelled. "Some of us are blind!"

"Here it is, Delia. Let me help you," Myrtle said, coming over to grab the towel from the back of the sink, where someone else had left it.

"Let me do it! It's my mess!" Cordelia said as she ripped it from her hands, irritated by her own clumsiness.

Myrtle sighed. "Delia, there's a… I need to say something, or I'll simply explode." Cordelia looked up when she heard how upset she sounded. "I need to know for certain that you don't think I did this to you." Cordelia stood up to face her. "I remember the first day Fiona dropped you off here. You were like a baby bird, pushed too soon from the nest. Do you remember what you asked?" Cordelia remembered. She had asked Myrtle if she would be her new mother, and in response, Myrtle had held her hand out to her. "I've always loved you like a daughter." Once again, Myrtle took Cordelia's hands in her own. "Wrap your arms around me, dear girl. Use your power of sight, and you'll see that I could not have done this terrible thing," she pleaded.

"No. I won't. I don't need magic to tell me what I already know," Cordelia said. "I know you would never hurt me. Melanie knows it, too. We never doubted you for a second, and I told my mother that. My mother set you up. My blindness gave me real vision, but it's of no use to me now. Not when there are witch hunters right outside our door." She felt so useless. She was so frustrated with herself that she was on the verge of tears.

"Darling… if I could pluck my own eyes out of my head and gift them to you, I would," Myrtle said, squeezing her hands.

Cordelia smiled. "I know."

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Georgia, Hank had gone to the headquarters of Delphi Trust to answer his father's summons. He had been sitting in the reception area for a while now. He turned his head to look at the receptionist, about to ask her how much longer it would be, when someone called his name. "Hank."

Hank looked back at the man standing in front of him and stood up to greet him. "David."

"Good to see you," David greeted him.

"I thought you were in Europe," Hank said, shaking his hand.

"We had a flare-up with the Cromwell Coven in North Hampton," David said. "Nothing a few silver bullets couldn't take care of."

"Oh. Corporation keeps you busy, now that he's made you the official right hand," Hank said, feeling envious. He wished his father was capable of placing that much trust in him.

"I know you were hoping to be named, but your father has other plans for you, Hank," David said.

"Right. Am I still in the will?" Hank asked jokingly.

"You'll always be his son," David answered, giving him a pat on the back. "Come on. He's ready for you." Hank followed David into his father's private office. He watched as his father stood up and walked around his desk to greet them. His father gestured for him to have a seat.

"Coffee?" Harrison asked.

"No, thanks. Never acquired a taste for it," Hank said. Not since that first hunting trip. It only brought back memories of his failure.

"Well, I'll get right to it," Harrison said, pouring himself a cup. "We're not happy with your progress in New Orleans. David tells me you're no longer living at the academy."

"A lot of things have happened. Some of them out of my control," Hank said.

"Allying yourself with Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen, that was out of your control?" Harrison asked.

"I took some initiative. I had a plan to bring them both down. The Witches and the Voodoos." Hank said.

"You don't take initiative, Hank. You follow orders," Harrison said sternly. "Your only job is to gather intelligence. You don't get your hands dirty. You're the man on the inside. That's why you're married to Cordelia Goode."

"Yes, Father," Hank said, "I-I just thought…"

"Don't think," Harrison snapped firmly. "You'll just end up getting somebody killed." Hank eyed the scar on his father's hand while he drank his coffee. He got that scar because he had hesitated to kill a pyrokinetic witch on his first hunt. Hank knew Harrison still blamed him for it.

"I though that was the point," Hank retorted smartly, used to the guilt trips. "I'm much more capable than you think." He wasn't that scared little boy anymore.

"You're referring to the firestarter you terminated in Baton Rouge?" Harrison asked.

"I found the witch, killed her, then got rid of the body," Hank said proudly.

"In a hotel room! You used a credit card! It could have been traced back to the Corporation," Harrison scolded him sharply. "I had to send David down there to clean up after you. An innocent desk clerk and a maid lost their lives… because you were sloppy." He waved his hand dismissively and stepped aside to take a moment to calm down.

"Hank… you need to understand, your father's not only the head of the Corporation, he's the CEO of a major financial institution. The liberals at Washington are just looking for an excuse to sick the FEC on companies like Delphi. Your recklessness puts everything we've worked for at risk," David explained.

"I thought we were still Witch Hunters," Hank said challengingly.

Harrison turned around to face him again. "The hunt isn't only about the kill. A good hunter stalks his prey with care, and only strikes when the time is right. Even Michael Richards, that psychopath your cousin adopted, understood that much. And he used this knowledge and the training we provided him to become an apex predator. In the few years he's been active, he's killed more witches than everyone in this room combined. And we never had to clean up after him, because he was smart about it. He even claimed to have discovered a combination of drugs that could temporarily block a witch's powers so that they could be interrogated for more information before being killed. But before he could pass it on to us, he went missing. Claimed it needed more 'field testing'. I'm certain the witches had something to do with his disappearance. We need that formula. We need you back inside that house."

"That may be a problem," Hank said, unaware that Melanie had been the culprit since Cordelia had kicked him out as soon as they got home without telling him anything. "Somebody blinded Cordelia, a-an unknown attacker threw acid in her face."

"Not unknown," David said, glancing at Harrison before looking back at Hank. "We authorized that. We wanted to make sure she needed you."

Hank looked at his father, stunned. "You disfigured my wife?"

"Your wife?" Harrison scoffed. "Tell me you don't actually have feelings for her." Hank swallowed, and Harrison hit the table when he didn't deny it, drawing his son's attention to the burn scars again. "Tell me son! You haven't forgotten what she is. What you are?"

"I'm part of a Sacred Order. A soldier in a shadow war. A war that has been raging since before the time of Salem. We are a Brotherhood pledged in blood, dedicated to stamping out the pestilence of witchery on the North American continent," Hank stated obediently. His father laughed and walked around to pat him on the back.

"Don't think I don't appreciate the sacrifices you've made. I know how confusing it can be to pretend to love someone who is your enemy," Harrison said. "But you can never lose yourself to the lie. Because someday… she will have to be put down."

"What a marvelous invention. So clever," Myrtle said, admiring the melon-baller she was holding in her hands before adding it and the freshly scooped ball of melon it held to the crystal bowl with all the others. She plucked a sprig of greens from the specimen that she had borrowed from the greenhouse and carried the dish out to be served to Pembroke and Quentin. She had made certain that Melanie and the other girls had been sent out to retrieve Nan, and that Cordelia was upstairs resting before calling them over for this little get together. Misty was preoccupied with settling into her new room. "So, before we move on to our lobster poché beurre, a little melon ball palate cleanser," she announced, setting the crystal bowl on the table between the two witches. Pembroke and Quentin chuckled appreciatively. "Remember back in the day, Pembie? We'd always be served a palate cleanser at Sunday supper."

"Such a sensible tradition. Nobody bothers anymore," Pembroke agreed while she and Quentin helped themselves to the melon balls using the little serving spoon.

"Now, Myrtle, Pembie and I were just saying in addition to how thrilling it was to get your phone call, w-we…" Quentin stammered.

"I-I've… We've… just had such terrible regrets about the whole misunderstanding," Pembroke finished.

"And we cannot get over your skin," Quentin added, popping a melon ball in his mouth.

"Ah," Pembroke said in agreement as she ate hers and picked up her glass of champagne to take a sip.

"No burn scars. You look younger than ever," Quentin said, gesturing widely with his hands. "We-We've got to hear all about this Misty Day and her magical mud." He picked up his drink. "Should we be looking into it? Selling it perhaps?" he asked, bumping Pembroke on the shoulder with the hand holding the glass, spilling some champagne on her in the process. "Oh! My God…" He and Pembroke laughed while he tried to brush her off, and she ate another melon ball.

"You miss the point, darling," Myrtle said. "The swamp is a metaphor, her metaphor. She's a sophisticated witch with extraordinary gifts, hiding out as a hippie swamp rat. From humble hillbilly stock, she's been a witch since birth, her power and humanity separating her from everyone around her. In fact, those around her have tried endlessly to destroy her, in order to mask their own evil purposes. Yet she rose from the ashes, stronger than ever, more fully realized. A living testament to the greater ideals of our coven. Power, compassion, and uniqueness. We are lucky to have found her, and she us. It resonates with my own story, doesn't it?"

"Myrtle, I want to toast you," Pembroke said, raising her glass, "for your spirit of… f… give…" Every muscle in her body froze before she could finish her sentence.

"Forgiveness, you say?" Myrtle asked, while Pembroke continued to stare at her with wide eyes, unable to move. "Forgiveness is, and always will be, the high road…" Quentin's glass slipped from his hand when he froze, too, and shattered on the floor. Which was a real shame, because that was antique crystal. "… the preferred road." Myrtle walked around the table to approach them. "Would that we had such luxury." Pembroke's glass joined his on the floor. Quentin made a small choking sound. "Oh… Quentin," Myrtle said, placing a hand on his shoulder as she stood between them again. She wiped the spilled champagne from his chin. "Not to worry." She looked at Pembroke. "It's just a bit of monkshood in your balls. Causes temporary paralysis. 'Human Statue Syndrome', we call it." She glanced back at Quentin. "I believe it's the nervous system first. You lose control over your limbs, the muscles harden into cement, and it feels like ice in your veins. Then the respiratory system. Or is it the other way around? Well, no matter. It's supposed to be quite terrifying. Is it? Are you terrified? You should be," She said, glancing between the two witches. "At any rate, I'm not going to kill you." Myrtle straightened up. "Well, maybe after dessert. I put a lot of effort into the key lime pie. I do love a key lime pie, even more than a ile flottante… call me a Philistine!" she said, allowing herself a laugh, before getting back to business. "Enough chit-chat." Her voice grew stern as she stared the two traitors before her. "You've both wanted to eliminate me for years, so you could dominate the Council. But I was never worried you'd be hapless enough to try. Quentin! You're a fatuous fool and a drunk! Pembie, you're even worse. You're weak-willed, boring, and your fashion faux pas give me nightmares. I invited you here not to chastise you or exact revenge, but to help out the coven. To help out my beloved Cordelia." She laughed as she picked up the bowl of melon balls. "I bet you thought, 'Oh, she left the melon baller in there. She's growing old and forgetful.'" She laughed and set the bowl back down, retrieving the melon baller from it. Then she used it to scoop Pembroke's right eye straight out of its socket. She deposited the brown eye in the melon bowl and moved on to Quentin next, removing his left eye. Now she had everything she needed to heal her dear Cordelia.

"I had a Turkish Angora cat who was born with one brown eye and one blue," Myrtle said as she began removing the cloth that had been placed over Cordelia's face during the spell she had just finished performing. "She was absolutely gorgeous." And so was Cordelia. Myrtle watched her eyes flutter open, revealing her beautiful new blue and brown orbs.

"Oh, my God…" Cordelia said as the world came into focus again. She smiled. "I can see." Myrtle smiled, too. They were both so happy that she had been made whole again.

But Cordelia was not happy when she realized that she recognized the eyes after catching her reflection in a mirror when they went downstairs to the sitting room with the intention of having tea. "I know you had the best of intentions. But you could've asked me first."

"Delia, does one ask a drowning man before throwing him a life preserver?" Myrtle asked. Besides, she couldn't allow the dear girl to be aware of her plans for Pembroke and Quentin, or it would have made her an accessory to the crime.

"Who let this charcoal briquette back in?" Fiona asked as she stalked into the room, having just come back from returning Delphine's severed head to Marie Laveau. Cordelia and Myrtle turned to face her, and Fiona stopped in her tracks when she saw Cordelia's new eyes. "Oh, sweet Jesus."

"He gets no credit," Myrtle said. "It was I who restored our beloved Cordelia."

"You're not witch enough to pull off something this delicate," Fiona said as she came over to have a closer look, reaching out a gloved hand to touch her daughter's face.

"Oh, but you're wrong. I'm more witch now than I ever was, and I've got you thank, Fiona. Being burned at the stake was an empowering experience. There are secrets in the flames, and I came back with more than a few," Myrtle said proudly.

"You couldn't find two that matched?" Fiona asked, looking at her. Myrtle closed her eyes and let out a quiet groan. Always a critic. Fiona looked back at Cordelia's new eyes. "Why do they look so familiar?"

"The generous donors wish to remain anonymous," Myrtle replied coolly. She had taken great care to carve what was left of Pembroke and Quentin up into pieces so the evidence of her crime could be dissolved in barrels of quicklime.

"Well, if she gave you two new eyes, it's out of guilt for having blinded you," Fiona told her daughter as she turned to walk over to the liquor cabinet to pour herself a drink.

"Hurl your baseless accusations. They have no power now," Myrtle told her.

"You could still end up in an ashtray, you know," Fiona said.

"You're the one that should be put to the stake. You murdered Madison Montgomery," Myrtle reminded her.

"Well, that's going to be a hard one to stick, Myrtle," Fiona said, removing her gloves and throwing them on the table. "The girl's not dead."

"Not anymore, and no thanks to you," Myrtle said.

Fiona grabbed her drink and turned to face Myrtle fully. "You were the one found guilty of a capital crime. I don't care if you did survive the stake. I could have you banished. Permanent exile. You know what that means, Myrtle—Paramus, New Jersey—toxic waste… outlet malls…"

Myrtle laughed nervously and shook her head. "You wouldn't dare."

"Ha," Fiona laughed, taking a cigarette from the dispenser and lighting it with her gold lighter. "I could call an emergency meeting of the Council right now."

"Good. Call the Council. Good luck. I hear they're not seeing anyone right now," Myrtle retorted, enjoying her own private joke.

"Stop it! Stop it! Right now." Cordelia said sternly, fed up with their arguing. "Like it or not, Fiona is your Supreme, and you need to start treating her like one," Cordelia scolded Myrtle. "And you…" Cordelia said, turning to her mother next. "You need to stop accusing Auntie Myrtle. We both know she's not the one who blinded me. The real danger is outside these doors, not inside." Myrtle and Fiona exchanged a glance, each shooting the other a fake smile. This definitely wasn't over. Cordelia sighed. "I'm tired. I need to lie down. When the girls get in, make sure they stay in. It's dangerous out there."

"Of course, baby bird. You go rest your new eyes. We'll see to absolutely everything," Myrtle said, giving her a hug. As she was pulling away, Cordelia realized something wasn't right.

"Wait… Hug me again," she told Myrtle.

"Of course I will, my darling girl," Myrtle said, happy to comply.

Cordelia held onto her and searched long and hard. "Nothing." Not even a little tingle or a faint flicker. "My visions… They're gone."

The skirt of Melanie's vintage black maxi dress with quarter-length sleeves and boat neck collar lined with a large ruffle rustled softly against the top of her black ankle boots, and her long hair flowed out behind her a little as she marched through the halls of the hospital with Zoe and Madison. She played nervously with one of the ends that hung loosely down the front of her dress from the thin, black leather cord that she had wrapped around her neck like a choker. She assumed Nan would be all right since they saw her get into the ambulance with Luke the previous evening, but hospitals had always made her nervous ever since she woke up to learn that she had been abandoned in one. The memory served as an unpleasant reminder that she had been thrown away. Madison pulled out a cigarette and lit it with her lighter. "You can't smoke in here, Madison," Zoe said.

"Why don't you go tell someone?" Madison retorted smartly.

"Put it out, Madison," Melanie said firmly.

Madison automatically put it out by rubbing it against the side of her lighter. "Ugh, sick people really gross me out." She blinked at looked at the extinguished cigarette in her hand and then at Melanie, while Zoe glanced behind them to make sure no one had heard the offensive remark, startled. Did Melanie just use that mind control thing on her? It was hard to tell with that stoic expression on her face.

"What?" Melanie asked when she noticed her staring.

"Nothing. Look, there's Nan," Madison said, quickly changing the subject when she spotted her sitting a chair outside a room. "We've been looking everywhere for you," she told the other witch. Nan looked exhausted and was still wearing the same dress she had on the last time they saw her. She had been there the whole night.

"Nan, it's time to go. Cordelia wants us all back at the house." Zoe said.

"I need to see Luke," Nan said anxiously.

"You haven't seen him yet?" Melanie asked with a frown.

"You've been here since last night," Madison said indignantly.

"His mother won't let me," Nan cried.

"That's bullshit," Madison said. And, for once, they were all in complete agreement with her. Melanie stepped forward and opened the door. They let Nan go in ahead of them since she was the most eager to see him.

"Luke?" Nan called, hoping to find him awake. Unfortunately, he appeared to be in coma, because he was unconscious and hooked up to a breathing tube and an I.V.

"Who said you could come in here _!_? Get out before I call security!" Joan Ramsey said angrily, jumping up from her chair to charge at them, standing protectively near the end of her son's bed.

"She just wants to see him," Zoe said, holding out a hand to stop her.

"Absolutely not. It's your fault my son is in a coma! You brought this darkness into my home!" Luke's mother yelled at Nan. Melanie's frown deepened and Madison shook her head.

Nan closed her eyes for a moment before looking back at Mrs. Ramsey. "Luke says, 'Calm down. Don't have a fit. Like at the lake last summer?'"

"When did he tell you that?" Joan asked, taken aback.

"Now," Nan said.

"You're a liar… or a lunatic," Joan said harshly.

"No, bitch, she's clairvoyant," Madison told her, annoyed with her attitude.

" 'Regard not them that have familiar spirits, who consort with demons to be defiled by them,'" Joan sneered, quoting the Bible. Madison crossed her arms. Melanie furrowed her brow, remembering how one of her foster mothers used to say that same quote just before locking her in the closet for playing with her old tarot cards. That deck had been one of the few possessions that were left with Melanie when she was abandoned at the hospital—one of the few clues about her life before she lost her memories—and that hateful woman had burned them right in front of her out of spite.

"Nan's not talking to a demon. She's talking to your son," Zoe said.

"I don't believe it!" Joan said adamantly.

" 'Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart,'" Melanie retorted, quoting the Bible right back at her. One advantage of having an over zealous bible-thumper for a foster mother was that she had been forced to memorize virtually every chapter. Madison raised an eyebrow as she glanced between Melanie and Joan, enjoying the look of shock on the older woman's face for having been beaten at her own game.

"You're mocking my grief," Mrs. Ramsey said.

"Not your grief," Madison said, rolling her head and her eyes at the woman. "Maybe the outfit." She amended with a small shrug. Melanie shot her a sideways look to let her know that wasn't helping. "God works in mysterious ways, Joanie. Roll with it."

"He likes that song. The one that you sang to him before," Nan said.

"That proves you're a fraud," Joan said. "I didn't sing. I read to him from Deuteronomy." Melanie raised an eyebrow at that. Why the hell would anyone read aloud to someone from Deuteronomy. Was she trying to torture the poor boy? She could have least read Luke the psalms or something instead.

"When he was eight… when he broke his arm… 'A Closer Walk'?" Nan said.

Joan stared at her. "How can you know that?"

"We told you, she's a mind reader," Madison said. "We're witches. Haven't you figured that out by now?"

"Come on, Nan. She doesn't deserve your help," Zoe said, helping her turn away as the four witches moved to leave the prejudiced and ungrateful woman alone with her grief. They had just opened the door when they heard Joan Ramsey's voice again.

"I am weak… But Thou art strong," Joan sang, sounding like she was about to cry. "Jesus, keep me from all wrong. I'll be satisfied as long as I walk. Let me walk close to Thee." They watched as she set the bible that she had been holding down on the bed and moved closer to her son to hold his hand. "Just a closer walk with Thee. Grant it Jesus, is my plea. Daily walking close to Thee." Nan started to take a few steps away from the door, moving further into the room. "Let it be, Dear Lord, let it be." Joan looked up and held her free hand out to Nan, who immediately accepted the invitation to join her and hurried over to be by Luke's side with a smile. "When… my feeble life is o'er. Time for me will be no more. Guide me safely, gently o'er. To They Kingdom's shore, to Thy shore." Joan looked at Nan with tears streaming down her face and embraced her with gratitude for helping her feel closer to her son. Melanie, Zoe, and Madison decided to wait outside to give them some privacy.

Cordelia was teaching Misty how to mix a potion in the greenhouse while Stevie Nick's _Kind of Woman_ played in the background. "I didn't know bay leaves had magic in them," Misty said, examining the herbs Cordelia had handed to her to add to the mixture in the blender.

"They provide protection," Cordelia explained while grinding another ingredient in a small mortar with the pestle. She tipped the mortar over the blender, empting out its contents. "Asafetida… banishes evil." Misty nodded and leaned down to sniff the potion.

"Oh, wow, that some stinky shit," she said, rearing back at the smell. She and Cordelia shared a laugh at that.

"Now, you never use this unless under extreme circumstances," Cordelia instructed her." Misty nodded again to show she understood. Cordelia picked up the wooden spoon they had been using to help mix the potion and gave it another stir. "Looking good." She scooped out a spoonful of the pasty substance and added it to the pot of the dying plant. They wanted to restore it because its berries granted power that they would need to protect the coven. This would have gone twice as fast if Melanie was there, too, but she felt Zoe and Madison would be safer if she went with them, since she was the only one who had any practical experience fighting against a witch hunter. But, of course, Cordelia was praying it wouldn't come to that.

"Hey, can I try the incantation this time?" Misty asked.

"Go for it," Cordelia said.

Misty grabbed the card that had the incantation written on it and started reading. "Bagahi laca bachahe. Lamac cahi achabahe. Karrelyos." She was disappointed when the plant remained unchanged.

"Stronger intent," Cordelia instructed her.

Misty took a step closer to the plant and focused on the result she wanted to obtain before continuing. "Lamac Lamec Bachalyos. Cabahagi sabalyos Baryols." She was elated when she looked up from the card and saw the plant springing back to life right before her eyes. "Damn! That is so cool!" she exclaimed, eyes shining with excitement. She could bring back people and animals with her own power, but she had never managed to do it with a plant before. Cordelia laughed and reciprocated when Misty turned to her with her hands raised for a high-five.

"We make a great team," Cordelia said. "Now we need to make some more of this… for everyone." She picked one of the small red fruits and ate it. Misty followed her example. Cordelia handed her a bucket and a shovel. "Go get some more of that mud back there." Misty smiled and nodded. She paused on her way out and looked back at the older witch.

"You're such an awesome leader, Miss Cordelia," Misty told her, full of admiration. "I've got so much to learn from you."

"Fiona is the leader of this coven," Cordelia reminded her, looking up from her work. Misty would have preferred Cordelia, but seeing the look on her face, she decided to keep that to herself as she left to get the mud. Cordelia went back to work, but soon looked up again when she heard a noise.

"Hey," Hank said, staring at her from the open doorway at the other end of the greenhouse.

"Well, shit," Cordelia said, looking down at the bucket of herbs in her hands. "I meant to change the locks."

Hank stopped short. "You have your sight back?" he asked, surprised. She looked back at him so he could see her new eyes for himself. "Oh… oh, my God." He smiled with relief and hugged her before she could stop him. Cordelia closed her eyes, enjoying the familiar embrace without her visions to remind her of his infidelity. "Did Fiona do this?"

Cordelia opened her eyes. "Let go of me," she said firmly. She couldn't do this. She wasn't going to let him trick her into forgiving him. "I said let go." She pushed him away when he didn't move. "You're drunk." She could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Yeah, I needed the courage to come back," Hank said, as if that made it all right. Cordelia started to turn away, wondering what she ever saw in him, when he reached out and grabbed her face with his hands. "Hey, hey… what do your eyes see?" he asked. "Can you see my heart? Can you see it's bleeding? That I'm living in a hell of regret and remorse?" She searched his eyes. He seemed sincere, but she didn't know if he could be trusted anymore. "My life has no meaning without you." Cordelia thought that was a laugh. If he really meant that, then he shouldn't have cheated on her to begin with. She loved him with everything she had, and he had repaid her by betraying her with another woman and breaking her heart. "What will it take, Delia?"

"More than you've got," Cordelia replied strongly. Hank stared at her, stunned. He flinched and pulled away from her when Misty returned with the mud.

"Who's this?" Hank asked.

"Hey. I'm Misty," Misty said, introducing herself with a smile. Hank felt a jolt of panic when he realized that he was looking at the swamp witch that he had failed to kill.

"Can we have this conversation alone please?" he asked rather belligerently, hoping Cordelia wouldn't have a vision about it.

"Don't leave, Misty," Cordelia said, stopping the other witch when she started to turn away from them. "She and I have much bigger concerns than this conversation," she told Hank. "I've told you how I feel. Take your stuff and leave."

"No, I'm not going anywhere. I'm your husband! This is my home!" Hank shouted, starting to panic.

"Not anymore. I've spoken to a lawyer. I'm filing for divorce." Cordelia informed him.

"That's bullshit!" Hank yelled angrily. Cordelia flinched when she was hit by flecks of his spit. "You got to listen to me. All I want is to protect you. I know you don't believe it, but that's all I've ever wanted to do."

The corner of Cordelia's mouth twitched. "Your shit's in a box in the closet. Get it, and then get out." She was one more word away from tearing him apart. Hank must have sensed this, because he finally gave up left them alone.

Hank found another unpleasant surprise waiting for him when he came out of the bedroom he used to share with Cordelia after collecting his box. A big, mean German shepherd growled menacingly at him, baring its sharp teeth as a threat. It barked whenever he tried to move, snapping its jaws at him. He was saved when Fiona came up the stairs and calmly approached the vicious dog. "Endora, heel." The dog snarled at Hank one more time before padding over to her side, standing obediently beside its master. "Good girl."

"You got a dog?" Hank asked, surprised.

"Well, one dog moves out, another moves in. You know, it's the cycle of life," Fiona said.

"But you hate animals… and all other living things," he said.

"Well, that's true, but we needed some protection around here," Fiona said.

"I know that. Why do you think I came back?" Hank said.

"You?" Fiona asked, laughing. He couldn't be serious. After what he did to her daughter? "Protect? Really?" She put her hands on her hips. "You know why I got a female attack dog?"

"Because bitches stick together?" Hank asked.

Fiona chuckled humorlessly and made the bottom of his box fall out with a wave of her hand. "Because females are more loyal and aggressive when it comes to protecting their families. Good to see you, Hank." she said dismissively as she and Endora passed him to enter the hall. He had better not let her catch him there again. The dog yowled softly as she trotted ahead of Fiona to stand in front of the door to Melanie's room, pawing at it. "What is it, girl? What's in there?" Endora started barking at whatever it was that she sensed in the room. Fiona waved her hand and opened the door. Endora trotted straight toward the blonde boy they found sitting on the floor of the room. "It's another goddamned boy. Jesus, theses girls," Fiona huffed in annoyance. She wouldn't have expected this kind of behavior from Cordelia's pet student.

Kyle looked up from the workbook that Melanie had left for him to fill out and smiled when the dog started cozying up to him and giving him some friendly licks to the face. "Dog…" he said, chuckling. He liked dogs. It was nice to meet such a friendly animal. Melanie had tried introducing him to Nox, but the cat seemed wary of him and refused to come too close.

"You have to leave now," Fiona told him, putting her hand on the doorknob to pull it closed as she started walking out. "Come on. Come on," she told Endora, patting her thigh to get her to follow. But Kyle didn't want to leave, and he didn't want to let go of the dog. He was so absorbed with hugging it and holding it in place, that he failed to notice the warning signs when the poor dog started to whine.

Fiona spun around in alarm when she heard the sound of a neck snapping and stared at the boy holding the dead attack dog in surprise. Where she once saw a nuisance, she now saw potential.

Melanie, Zoe, Madison, and Nan returned to the school after Joan kicked Nan out because she had relayed a message from Luke that the hypocritical woman didn't like. Melanie's heart leapt into her throat when they entered through the kitchen door, and she heard two familiar voices conversing with each other.

"My turn," Fiona said.

"My turn," said Kyle.

"No, now it's your turn," Fiona told him. "Christ." Melanie rushed past Madison and Nan while Zoe held the door open and came to an abrupt halt when she saw the unexpected scene that was playing out at the kitchen table. They were playing cards.

"Gin," Kyle said as he played his next card.

"Shit!" Fiona said, throwing the rest of her cards down on the table.

"Would you like to play another hand?" Kyle asked her.

"Yeah, you just keep dealing till I win my money back. And yours, too," Fiona told him. Melanie was stunned. Not only was he playing cards with the Supreme as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do, but he was winning. And his speech had improved a lot since he said goodbye to her that morning.

"Kyle?" She asked, wondering if she had fallen asleep on the way back, and this was a dream. Kyle looked up and smiled slightly when his eyes met hers.

"What did you do to him?" Madison asked.

"Well, since none of you girls can play cards worth a damn, I took the liberty of sprucing up your boy. Just a touch," Fiona said, taking a sip of her drink.

"You mean you fixed him?" Zoe asked.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Fiona said. Kyle looked down at the stack of cards in his hand. "I mean, he's not all there, but he's okay." Kyle looked up and smiled at the older woman when she chuckled. He still wasn't entirely back to his old self, but he was grateful for the jumpstart. She had also given him a new sense of purpose, one that coincided with his own goals. He felt sorry about the dog, though. He hadn't meant to kill it. "What we need is a guard dog. One who will attack on command." The girls watched as Kyle effortlessly performed a perfect riffle shuffle with the cards. Kyle felt a swell of pride when he looked up and saw the impressed look on Melanie's face. He liked being able to show off for her.

"Deal!" Fiona said, ready for the next round.

"Mind if I join you?" Melanie asked, moving to take the other seat next to Kyle as he started to distribute the cards. She smiled when he looked at her and reached out to rub his shoulder. She was happy for him and proud. Whatever the reason, he had improved by leaps and bounds. There was still something a little off about him, but his eyes held a much deeper level of clarity now, and he appeared to be more at peace with himself. She knew Fiona was still an enemy, but she was grateful for what she had done for Kyle. Not only had she 'spruced him up a bit', but she said he could stay. It was far more than she had dared to hope for from the cunning Supreme.

Fiona smiled as she raised her glass again, impressed by the girl's boldness despite having just been caught hiding a boy in her room. "Be my guest." Kyle smiled and dealt Melanie into the game.

Later that evening, when Melanie and Kyle were curled up in bed together, she reached out to retrieve the book sitting out on her night table. She had started reading to Kyle from a collection of poems by Pablo Neruda. She felt his arms wrap around her, and he pulled her back against his chest and tried to take the book from her. "It's my turn to read to you," Kyle said, nuzzling his nose against her ear, making her laugh a little because of the way it tickled. They were so busy flirting that they dropped the book, and it hit the night table, knocking her tarot deck to the floor. Melanie's eyes widened a little in surprise when she saw the cards that happened to fall out from the rest of the packet when it hit the floor. Kyle was a little confused by her sudden sense of urgency when she hopped out of the bed to pick them up.

"Oh," she said quietly, kneeling down to examine their arrangement carefully. The Empress, The Tower, and Death had appeared again. Only this time, the Empress was reversed. That symbolized a creative block, dependence on others. Or a loss of power. If this card represented Fiona, then perhaps it was a sign that her power was fading faster than they thought. The Tower indicated that some kind of disaster, upheaval, or sudden change would be involved. Death could also indicate change, usually in the form of an ending or a new beginning. Which they would have if Fiona fell and a new Supreme arose. But it could also have the literal meaning of physical death. With Fiona in the equation, Melanie wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter. And they had the witch hunters to worry about, too. She shivered. Kyle left the bed to put his arms her. She rested her hands on top of his. She appreciated the gesture, but it hadn't been because she was scared or cold. It was because she had sensed a sudden surge of power. It felt similar to Queenie's magic, but much darker and a hell of a lot stronger. She squeezed Kyle's hands a little when she heard the echo of the loud knock on the front door downstairs. She heard the slight creak of another door opening on their floor. She held her breath, listening as someone padded down the hall to the stairs. Melanie waited a beat, and then turned to look at Kyle. "Something's not right. I have to go make sure it's safe."

Kyle frowned. "If you think it's dangerous, then I should go in—"

"It's another witch, Kyle," Melanie said, frowning back at him. "And those cards I picked up could be interpreted to mean that some bad shit is about to go down. I don't want whoever it is to hurt you."

"That's my line," Kyle said, furrowing his brow and tightening his grip on her hand when she moved to leave. But he quickly relaxed his hold when he recalled how he had hurt the dog. He didn't want to accidentally do the same thing to her. "You really think I'm gonna let you go out there alone after hearing that?" They stared at each other for a moment, eyes locked in a battle of wills, each determined to protect the other.

"Fine. We'll go together," Melanie said with a sigh. "But only if you can promise me you won't rush out ahead. I need you to stay by my side." So she could protect him if it turned into a magic fight. Kyle nodded again, and they carefully crept down the hall from their room as quietly as they could. They stopped near the top of the stairs and peeked out from around the corner. There, at the front door, they saw something unbelievable. Melanie had seen pictures of her before, so she recognized the black witch standing in the open door right away. She was Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans; their enemy. And Fiona was letting her in.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks**

* * *

Melanie and Kyle watched as Fiona shut the door behind Marie, and the Supreme and Voodoo Queen began ascending the stairs. Melanie narrowed her eyes, wondering what Fiona was up to. She briefly considered the far-fetched idea that Fiona may have recruited Marie to help her get rid of potential future Supreme candidates, but she couldn't see the coven's long-time enemy agreeing to do her a personal favor any time soon. Squinting in the dark, she realized the arm Marie was holding was wounded, and there was blood leaking through her fingers. Had she come to them for help? That seemed equally unlikely. Melanie tensed when they drew close. Kyle noticed and took that as a sign to get ready to fight.

"All right, you two can quit gawking," Fiona said when she spotted the two kids. "And you can relax. Marie is here as our guest. So why don't you make yourselves useful and fetch her some tea and that silver flask Cordelia keeps in her desk. Bring them up to the guest room." Melanie didn't relax, but she nodded to show that she would comply with the request, and she and Kyle let the older women pass. They probably couldn't have done much against two such powerful opponents on their own anyway. So Melanie and Kyle went downstairs to do as Fiona asked. They brought the tea and flask to Fiona on a silver tray. "Good. You two can go back to bed now," Fiona said dismissively, about to close the door in their faces, when Melanie stuck her foot forward.

"Should I let Cordelia know?" Melanie asked, concerned.

"No. I'll take care of this. No sense in waking her or anyone else. They'll find out about it tomorrow," Fiona replied. Melanie searched her expression for any signs that she might be lying. It was hard to tell, but, for the moment, Fiona didn't appear to be planning to kill them all in their sleep just yet. Melanie removed her foot, and Fiona shut the door. Kyle watched while Melanie pressed her ear against the door for a couple of minutes to listen. Her eyes widened in surprise at what she overheard. Fiona had just said that Marie 'lost everyone she knew'. Melanie immediately thought of Queenie. Did that mean that she was dead? Marie had come to them wounded, so a third party must have attacked her. If Fiona was taking her in, then it must be a common enemy they both shared. Witch hunters.

Melanie straightened up and turned to face Kyle, taking him by the hand to lead him back to their room. "Come on. I don't think we have anything to worry about tonight." Queenie was either still alive, or she wasn't. Worrying wouldn't bring back the dead, and they needed their rest. If the witch hunters had raided Marie Laveau's place, it was probably only a matter of time before they came for them, too.

Unfortunately, Madison appeared to have other plans, because they found her waiting for them on the bed. "Where have you two been?"

"Making tea," Melanie replied. Madison raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not in the mood tonight, Madison."

"Well, then I guess Kyle and I will just have to amuse ourselves, then," Madison said, leaving the bed to approach him. She placed a hand under his chin and gave him a deep kiss. Melanie tired very hard to ignore them as she headed for her bed. She and Kyle might love each other, but apparently the deal to share him was still on. That really steamed her.

"I'm tired," Kyle said, breaking away from the kiss. Madison scoffed at him in disbelief. She glanced between Melanie and Kyle.

"Whatever!" Madison said, stomping out of the room in a huff. If they didn't want to screw her, then screw them!

Kyle climbed into bed with Melanie and put his arms around her. She didn't pull away, but she didn't look at him either. Kyle frowned. He knew that he had hurt her again. His jaw tensed as he thought about how stupid he had been to let Madison kiss him again. He still had trouble controlling his impulses. He kissed Melanie's hair and silently promised to work on that. Whatever temporary distractions came his way, she was the one he wanted to be with.

Everyone was shocked the following morning when they learned that Marie Laveau had come to them seeking refuge in the middle of the night, and Fiona announced that they were now allies. The story about Hank's assault on her salon had made the news, but they hadn't identified him or released the names of the victims yet. Melanie—who had dressed for the day in a soft black pullover sweater, a slightly flared black miniskirt with a thin white plaid pattern, black tights, and black ankle boots, a black headband, and a black velvet choker with a plastic black 90s choker—was surprised to hear that he had been the culprit. After breakfast, she, Zoe, Madison, and Nan were sent out to _Cornrow City_ to assess the damage and see if they could learn more about what happened from the locals. Cordelia sat at the kitchen table with her mother and their once long-time enemy while they watched the latest news program. "Here's an update on the shoot-out at a hair salon in the Ninth Ward yesterday," the newscaster announced. "The police have identified a man seen here in this video surveillance footage. If anyone has any information…"

"It's my fault," Cordelia said sadly, feeling guilty. "All of it. I told him I was filing for divorce. He was so angry." Fiona took out a cigarette and tapped it on the table, put it in her mouth, and lit it with her lighter. "He was determined to be a hero. He had this look on his face. I should have seen it."

"It ain't on you," Marie said, looking at her. "It's on me. I hired him."

"What are you talking about?" Cordelia asked.

Marie turned a little to face her better. "Your husband was a Witch Hunter." Fiona glanced sideways at her daughter. This was news to both of them. "Showed up at my place, runnin' his mouth 'bout how he been killing witches his whole life, 'bout how he had all this access, how his mother-in-law was the Supreme." Marie glanced at Fiona. "Ooh, he hated your ass. But he gave me a fair price, so…" Marie scoffed when she saw the stunned and angry look on Cordelia's face. "You were my sworn enemy," she said in her defense as Fiona stood up and began to quietly pace the kitchen.

"You hired him to kill me? To kill my girls?" Cordelia asked incredulously, loosing the battle to keep her voice from breaking. Hank was an even bigger bastard than she thought.

"Uh-huh. But he was too soft on you, he couldn't do it. He was tryin' to protect you, all right. From me. Lucky for y'all he was a stone fool." Marie said. Fiona suddenly turned and swept toward them. Marie's eyes widened when she saw the furious look on her face and tensed, ready for a fight, but Fiona moved straight past her and gave her own daughter a back-handed slap that was hard enough to knock the poor girl out of her chair. Cordelia cried out in pain and shock as she hit the floor. Marie stood up, startled.

"You're not just blind, you are willfully blind," Fiona yelled at Cordelia, glaring down at her. "You married Hank to prove some childish point and brought a viper into this sacred house."

"It's all water under the bridge now, mama," Marie said, stepping between them. "Come on, come on, come on," she told Cordelia, keeping her eyes on Fiona while she helped her crying daughter back onto her chair.

"But Hank was not some… lone assassin with a grudge," Fiona said. "Witch Hunters never act alone. They are part of an ancient order of men whose sole purpose is to rid the world of witches. Black or white." She pointed her finger at Marie and shook it to emphasize her point, while Cordelia wiped the tears from her face. "Now w… we don't have to waste our time with worker bees, what we have to do is to find the hive." The doorbell rang just as she finished her speech. "Excuse me," Fiona said and left to answer the door. Marie sat back down, and Cordelia stared at the floor, feeling shocked and distraught. How could she have been married to Hank for so long and not known what he was? How could he betray her like that? Was he responsible for tipping off the Witch Hunter who had tried to kill Melanie? If so… then a very large part of her was glad he was dead.

"That's not all," Cordelia said, when Marie stood up again to leave. "One of our girls was abducted, and she barely escaped with her life. Thanks to her, we now know that they've discovered a way to suppress our powers."

"How?" Marie asked with a frown. Only another witch could pull something like that off.

"Drugs," Cordelia replied. "Apparently there's a certain combination that can temporarily block a witch from using her powers."

"Well, I don't know nothin' 'bout that," Marie said grimly. Hank had just gone straight to shooting when he came to slaughter her friends and allies. "But if that's true, then we need to weed this problem out at the root. What happened to that witch hunter?"

"She killed him," Cordelia said quietly. "She destroyed the body and the crime scene in a fire and dumped his car in the swamp."

Marie raised an eyebrow, impressed. "That so?" If she wanted to avenge her fallen comrades, then maybe she had come to the right place, after all. Cordelia watched Marie walk out of the room and turn the television off as she passed it, silencing the story that had begun about the abduction of a baby from a local hospital.

"Well, that was a morbid field trip," Madison said as she and the others returned from their attempt to scout out what was left of Marie's salon. The bodies had already been removed before the young witches arrived on the scene, and the building had been sealed.

"Queenie's dead," Zoe said, wishing she would show a little more respect, as they passed through the school's gate. Nan glanced at Melanie. Melanie had been very quiet ever since they had heard about the assault on _Cornrow City_ , but her mind was loud with concern for their ex-classmate.

"We don't know that. They haven't released the names yet," Madison said. "She could be at the Souplantation. You know how much that bitch loves a bottomless bowl. Should we go to the morgue?"

"No," Zoe and Nan answered together, while Melanie shook her head, and the four of them walked up the steps leading into the house. Melanie could faintly hear music coming from inside.

Madison sighed. "For witches, you guys are such squares." When they entered, Melanie realized the music she heard was an acoustic version of Stevie Nicks singing _Rhiannon_ along to the piano. That wasn't so unusual. What was unusual, and very surprising, was when they went into the sitting room and saw the real thing sitting at their piano. Fiona was lounging in one chair, while Misty sat in the other, gazing at her hero in awe. Melanie marveled over the unexpected scene while she and the others slowly and quietly walked over to stand by the couch and listen in. Stevie kept singing, not the least bit bothered by the abrupt widening of her small audience. Misty stood up and moved a little closer, leaning against a white support column, while she watched Stevie with star-struck eyes. Madison moved away from the others to approach Fiona.

Madison leaned down to talk to her and kept her voice low. "I'm a huge Eminem fan. When's he get here?"

"Marshall? You're not his type. And more importantly…" Fiona said, turning her head to look at her, "you're not the next Supreme." Misty started twirling with her shawl when Stevie reached the last lines of the song.

"What about the Seven Wonders?" Madison asked.

"I have no doubt she'll pass every one," Fiona said. Madison shook her head as she watched the ditzy swamp witch finish twirling and grab the column because she had made herself busy. Misty giggled and hugged it, keeping her eyes on Stevie while she sang the last verse as she moved to join her on the piano bench. She looked like she was having a hard time containing herself now that she was in such close proximity to the White Witch. Everyone applauded the performance after Stevie finished the final chord, and Madison quickly bounced over to Stevie at the Piano.

"That was amazing," she praised the famous musician with a big smile.

"Thank you, honey," Stevie said humbly with a small smile.

Misty immediately stood up again, feeling compelled to explain why the song and Stevie were both so wonderful. "She wrote it in ten minutes. She heard the name Rhiannon, and she got inspired, sat down and wrote the song. I know everything about you," she added, looking back at Stevie.

"I'm honored, Misty," Stevie said kindly. "Thank you."

"Did I get the shawl twirl right?" Misty asked nervously. "I real… I want to get it right."

"Perfect. It was perfect. Thank you." Stevie said. "But let me show you something." She stood up and moved from behind the piano to grab her own shawl off the back of chair. "One twirl."

"Okay. Yeah," Madison said, quickly moving out of the way when they both started twirl, and she nearly got hit in the face by Misty's shawl.

"Go that way," Stevie directed Misty.

"Okay," Misty said.

"Whoo!" Stevie said, wrapping her shawl around herself with a smile as they finished. Misty laughed and clapped, saluting her hero with a curtsey. "So, this shawl has danced across the stages of the world, and now it's yours," Stevie said, holding up her shawl as she faced the younger witch to drape it over her shoulders. "And now it's yours. And good luck with the Seven Wonders." She hoped the sweet girl made it.  
Misty threw her arms around Stevie, unable to contain her joy any longer. "Thank you, thank you, Stevie, thank you." Stevie smiled and returned her hug.

Madison was fuming as she stomped into the room she shared with Zoe. "That swamp bitch can't even spell her own name, and now she gets the keys to the kingdom?" She made a sound of disgust as she threw he fur coat onto her bed and sat down to pull out a cigarette. Nan, Melanie, and Zoe entered the room behind her, and Zoe made sure to shut the door so Misty wouldn't have to overhear the drama queen complaining. "I mean, I came back from the dead."

"Yeah, Misty brought you back," Zoe reminded her. Madison gave her a humorless and sarcastic laugh in response as she sat down the bed beside her.

"I could be the Supreme," Nan said, sitting on Zoe's bed with Melanie.

"Yeah, the mind reading's a real trick, Mumbles the Clown," Madison said dismissively, lighting up her cigarette.

"My powers are growing," Nan insisted. "I can do mind control."

"Prove it," Madison said.

Nan looked hard at her. "Put out that cigarette." Zoe and Melanie watched while Madison immediately did as she was told without even blinking. "Now stick it in your vagina."

"Whoa!" Melanie said with wide eyes, covering her mouth when Madison actually started to do it, and Zoe had to immediately jump up and grab her hand to stop her.

"Nan, stop! Both of you skanks, enough!" Zoe said sternly, while Nan flashed Madison a smile packed with sass. "And by the way, you can't be the Supreme—you've got a heart murmur," Zoe reminded Madison.

"Hm. Not anymore, bitch," Madison retorted confidently with a tilt of her head. She stood up. "My little trip to the afterlife cured it."

"I don't believe you," Zoe said. Nan stood up and crossed the room to put her ear against Madison's chest, and Madison uncrossed her arms to let her.

"It's true," Nan said after taking a couple moments to listen to her heart.

"It was clearly my destiny to die and be reborn, just like our Lord and Savior," Madison said sassily. "So let's schedule the Seven Wonders, me versus Misty, and we'll see who the next goddamn Supreme is." She grabbed her cigarettes and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Melanie shared a concerned look with Zoe. If Madison really was the next Supreme, then the coven was most likely doomed.

After some intense searching on the internet for more information about the man she thought she had married for connections to other Witch Hunters he might have been associated with, Cordelia asked her mother and Marie to come to her office. She turned her laptop around to show them what she had found. It was the homepage for Delphi Trust. The portrait of the man in charge stood out prominently on the screen.

"Okay, so who is he?" Marie asked.

"Harrison Renard. CEO of the Delphi Trust, an asset management company. One of the richest men in the country. And… apparently, my father-in-law," Cordelia answered with a nervous glance at her mother.

Fiona let out a soft, sardonic laugh. "I thought Hank didn't have any family."

"No. What Hank didn't have were any customers. No real ones, anyway," Cordelia said.

"You're sure this man is Hank's father?" Fiona asked.

"Renard. The French word for 'fox.' And this." Cordelia said, walking around the desk to open another tab that showed a page full of images of Harrison and Hank together. "His name really was Hank. Well, Henry. Henry Renard, the only son of Harrison Renard."

"So, tell me about this company, Delphi," Marie said.

"It grew out of the Renard's family business. They used to be carpenters, furniture builders, dating back to the colonies," Cordelia explained.

"Salem," Fiona said.

"Now they specialize in private equity. Last year they managed over $50 billion in assets," Cordelia added.

"So, where do we find them?" Marie asked.

"Corporate headquarters are in Atlanta," Cordelia replied.

"Hell, that ain't nothin' but a hop," Marie said. "So what we waitin' on?"

"Well, before we hop on our broomsticks, let's think this through," Fiona said. "This is a multibillion-dollar corporation. We've got to be smart about this."

They moved to the sitting room, where they set up everything they would need to bring their wrath down upon the Witch Hunters and cripple them where it would hurt the most. Fiona and Marie set wads of $100 bills down outside the white maze they had created, arranging them in a circle to encompass the whole thing. "They pray to one god—a green, merciless god. Money. So we cut off their supply, bring them to their knees, make them crawl to us and beg for mercy." Fiona placed a mousetrap baited with cheese inside the maze. "Here, I can do that," she told her daughter, going over to the table where she was preparing the herbs they would need for the ritual.

"I want to help," Cordelia said, continuing to crush the herbs with her mortar and pestle.

"No. You're tainted. You let them get inside your head," Fiona said, taking the tools from her.

"We can fight about this for the next ten years, but right now I want to help you," Cordelia said earnestly.

"No!" Fiona screamed at her. "Don't you understand anything?" she whispered. "You can't help me. You can't help anyone. You're worthless, hopeless. Get out of my sight." Cordelia looked at the contemptuous expression on her mother's face and left.

"Madison can't be the Supreme," Zoe said as she rode the elevator up to the ICU floor with Melanie and Nan. Nan had purchased a balloon and flowers for Luke at the hospital's little gift shop on the first floor.

"She's selfish, and she's a whore," Nan said while Melanie played with the ends of her braided pigtails, picked a loose thread from her striped shirt, and smoothed out the skirt of her burgundy corduroy overall-dress. Melanie couldn't stop her nervous fidgeting. She even tugged at the tops of her black over-the-knee socks, and she couldn't stop staring at the smudges on her white converses.

"You okay?" Zoe asked her.

"Yeah. I just hate hospitals," Melanie replied tightly, managing to keep a straight face.

Thankfully, Zoe didn't press her for details. "I didn't realize this before, but we can't survive on our own. The sisterhood protects each of us." she said a little abruptly. Melanie raised an eyebrow at that. Hadn't Zoe been the one who rallied them to join forces after Fiona killed Madison?

"If I was the Supreme, I would only do good," Nan said.

"I believe that," Melanie said with a small smile.

"Yeah," Zoe agreed, also smiling, as the elevator _dinged_ and the doors opened to let them out on their floor. "You don't have a mean bone in your body. Maybe you're the kind of Supreme we need." Nan smiled and laughed.

"You would certainly be an improvement over Fiona or Madison," Melanie added.

Nan's smile was replaced with a look of confusion. "I think they moved Luke. I can't hear him," she said, heading straight for the nurse's station.

"Can I help you?" the nurse asked as Zoe and Madison joined her, closing the binder she had been looking at.

"Yes. Uh, we're hear to see Luke Ramsey," Zoe said politely. The nurse turned to her computer and searched for his chart. Melanie furrowed her brow with concern while she and Zoe glanced at Nan when she suddenly gasped and started panting with a horrified expression on her face.

"I'm so sorry," the nurse said sympathetically, standing up to face them. "Luke died yesterday."

"I want to see him," Nan said anxiously.

"The mortuary came and took the body away," the nurse said.

"I want to say goodbye," Nan cried, leaving the flowers and balloon on the nurses desk as she walked off, too upset to stay still. Zoe and Melanie exchanged a concerned look. Poor Nan was so obviously heartbroken, that it was painful to watch. Melanie sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"We're just going to pay our respects," Zoe reminded Nan as they headed over to the Ramsey's house with a plate of cupcakes for a peace offering to Joan. "You can't mention Luke's dad or anything like that, right?" It had been unusually hot that day, so they had decided to shower and put on a change of fresh clothes after they had finished baking the cupcakes. Melanie was now wearing a vintage blue jean jacket over a short-sleeved plaid shift dress, black tights, and her white converses again. Her hair was pulled back in a single braid, and silver pendant shaped like a cratered full moon hung on a long chain around her neck.

"I'm not stupid," Nan said as they hoped up the steps to the porch.

"We need to know the name of the mortuary. Once we find out, we can get Misty to help us bring him back," Zoe said.

"And I can be with Luke forever," Nan said while Melanie rang the doorbell.

Getting in the door proved surprisingly easy. "I think the fondest memory I have of Luke was when he was nine," Joan said, serving the three of them some of the cupcakes they had brought. "He had made the most adorable little cross out of driftwood."

"Where's his body?" Nan asked. Zoe's kind smile fell as she glanced at Nan.

"She meant to ask, where you plan to hold the funeral. We would like to pay our respects," Melanie said quickly and coolly.

"Well, there will be a service in our church, but Luke is here… now," Joan said, surprising them. The girls shared a glance while Joan turned away to retrieve a metal urn. It made a heavy _thud_ as she set it down on the counter. Melanie felt her throat grow dry as she glanced at Nan out the corner of her eye. Nan looked like she was going to be sick. "I had him cremated. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

"You… bitch!" Nan yelled angrily, glaring at the woman as she stood up.

"I think it's time for us to go," Zoe said. She and Melanie quickly stood up to leave with Nan. But Nan wasn't going anywhere.

"You killed him with that pillow," Nan said, staring daggers at Joan. Melanie's eyes widened and then narrowed as she and Zoe looked back at the woman.

"What are you talking about? What are you talking about _!_?" Joan said, raising her voice as her anger and panic began to rise. She gasped when Nan thrust her hand out, holding her index and middle fingers together as she pointed at Joan. Zoe and Melanie watched, startled and amazed, while Nan moved her hand and forced Joan to fall to her knees on the kitchen floor.

"Nan, what are you doing _!_? Let her go!" Zoe said sternly when Nan yanked open the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a bottle of bleach. Zoe tried to take the container from her before she did something stupid. "Stop!" Zoe gasped when Nan pointed her fingers at her next and sent her sliding backwards across the floor into the other room, slamming into the wall. Nan kept her held there while she put the bleach on the counter.

"Let them go, Nan," Melanie said.

"She has to pay!" Nan screamed furiously.

"This is a dark road you're about to go down. If you do this, you'll never be the same again," Melanie told her seriously. "Are you absolutely certain you want to do this?"

"Yes," Nan said, making Joan grab the bleach. Luke's murderous mother stared up at her with fear in her eyes.

"Nan!" Zoe screamed. "Stop her, Melanie!"

Melanie clenched her fists, and clenched her jaw. "I can't do that without one of them getting hurt." Besides, did we really have any right to stop her? Joan had not only murdered her own son, the love of Nan's life, but she had made certain to destroy the evidence by having his body cremated. They had no physical proof of Joan's crime. Even if they reported her, she would never be arrested, let alone charged and convicted.

"You have to be… cleansed," Nan told Joan, repeating the same words she had used to torture Luke, as she made her drink the entire bottle of bleach.

"Nan!" Zoe screamed again, struggling to break free as Joan began foaming at the mouth and collapsed to the floor, choking to death on the burning chemical.

Cordelia was in the greenhouse, trying to focus on mixing a potion, while Myrtle stood near the end of the long table, playing a strange instrument that sounded like the eerie music from early sci-fi movies. "Could you please stop playing for a minute?" Cordelia asked, losing her patience. "I need to focus."

"No, no, no. Sit. Listen to the celestial tones." Myrtle told her. She continued playing her strange, electric instrument.

Cordelia sat down and tried to give it another chance, but she just couldn't. "What is that thing? It's hideous and weird."

"Don't be a hater, dear," Myrtle said softly. "It's a theremin. I cannot tell you how playing this instrument soothes my soul in tempestuous times."

Nothing could soothe my soul," Cordelia said sadly. "I have nothing to offer this coven anymore. Who am I? What do I do?" She asked, standing up and walking over to face Myrtle.

"You buck up, is what you do!" Myrtle said. "Face reality headlong and carry on."

"But how?" Cordelia asked. "I have no one, and my powers are gone." Her late husband had been a lying, cheating murderer, and she felt that the way she was now, she would only be a burden to the rest of the coven.

"Your salad dressing is absolutely magical. Maybe you could bottle it. Cordelia's Conjured Coriander Condiment. Or if you'd like a little getaway, maybe a job as a hostess on a cruise ship," Myrtle suggested. "You've got a lovely personality, and you're always well groomed."

"Myrtle, are you trying to push me over the edge?" Cordelia asked, on the verge of tears.

"I'm trying to give you une demi tasse de realite, darling," Myrtle said. "Let's be honest. Living in Fiona's shadow is a challenge. What are your options when your mother's Hilary Clinton? Between us chickens, no matter how hard I worked at it, I never felt special, either." Cordelia turned away. "But with my reemergence from the flames—look at me, I'm fabulous! Reinvigorated! One never knows what the universe has in store for us!"

"Oh, stop! Stop talking!" Cordelia screamed as she spun back around to face her. "You are insane! My God!" she grabbed one of the potted plants on the table and threw it on the floor, where it shattered with a _crash._ Myrtle flinched, a little startled. "I am an absolute failure! Everything that Fiona says is true! I don't belong here anymore. I don't belong anywhere!" Myrtle flinched again when Cordelia started grabbing more breakable things to throw, moving on to her glass beakers and test tubes. Myrtle sighed and started playing her theremin again in an attempt to stay calm while Cordelia wailed and continued to destroy her lab to vent her frustrations.

Kyle looked up when Melanie entered the room they shared with an upset Zoe hot on her heels. Nan had retreated to her room to mourn Luke in private the moment the girls returned to the school.

"Why didn't you stop her _!_?" Zoe demanded.

Melanie frowned. "I told you. I couldn't do anything without hurting them. You saw how powerful Nan was. The amount of force required to counterattack with telekinesis or concilium would have broken bones or caused brain damage. And using my pyrokinesis as a distraction to break her concentration wouldn't have worked, either, because Nan would know I wasn't really aiming to hurt her." Zoe stared at Melanie for a while with a frown on her face. Then she turned and left without another word.

"Rough day?" Kyle asked after a moment of silence.

Melanie flopped onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow, with a tired sigh. "No more than usual. How was yours?"

"Trying," he answered, joining her on the bed. "Myrtle's really strict." The older witch had him practicing the various duties his new role at the school would entail. With Spalding MIA, Kyle had inherited many of the butler's duties. Today they had covered how to dress and the etiquette that would be expected of him as an employee of the academy. A bright spot in the day had been learning that he would be receiving a paycheck from now on in addition to free room and board.

"Yes, she's a stickler for manners," Melanie said, peering up at him with a small smile. They looked up when the door opened, and Madison strolled into the room.

"All right. Let's go," she told Kyle, making a beeline to the bed so she could straddle him and start unbuttoning his shirt. She was ready to jump his bones good and hard after the day she'd had.

"I'm tired," Kyle said, shifting away from her, as he cast an inconspicuous glance at Melanie. He knew she didn't like it when he did this sort of stuff with Madison instead of her, and he didn't want to do anything that would hurt her.

Madison scoffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. "You're always tired!" she exclaimed, glaring at him in disbelief. No other boy would ever have turned down an opportunity like this. She glanced at Melanie with a frown on her face. Madison decided it was probably her fault. She must have said something Kyle, or maybe he was tired because the two of them had been screwing each other left and right when she wasn't around. "Fine. It'll just be us girls tonight," Madison said, casting a sly, mean-spirited glance at Kyle as she switched targets. Melanie furrowed her brow in confusion, startled when Madison suddenly kissed her, while Kyle tensed, clenching his jaw.

"No," he said immediately, before Melanie had a chance to ask Madison what she was playing at. "She's tired, too." Madison frowned, bitter that he was so jealous of Melanie when he wouldn't even touch her. But she also felt a tinge of satisfaction knowing that she had paid him back a little for rejecting her.

"Fine. I guess we'll just sleep tonight. Ugh. So boring." Madison said, laying back on the bed, making it very obvious that she had no intention of leaving. She wasn't about to let them have any more time alone together. If they wouldn't have sex with her, then she would make it so they couldn't have sex with each other either. The three of them ended up sharing Melanie's bed, with Kyle in the middle. He lay on his side and wrapped his arms around Melanie protectively. She could feel his hands still shaking a little from the effort it took to control himself when Madison kissed her in front of him. Melanie stroked his hands gently with her thumbs while she held them and turned her head to give him a light kiss on the neck once the lights were out. Kyle kissed her hair and moved closer until their bodies were molded together as one. But then Madison put her arms around the two lovers to remind them that she was still there.

They finally had some time alone together the next morning, when Madison left to get ready for the day. After some mild but very sweet canoodling, followed by a very steamy shower, Melanie and Kyle realized they couldn't put it off anymore and started getting dressed, too. Melanie pulled on a jean jacket over a burgundy babydoll dress, sheer black tights, and her vintage floral Doc Martens. Her gold triangle necklace hung from her neck. She had just finished applying her makeup and pulling her hair up in a half-bun, when Kyle stepped into the bathroom, holding his tie. "I can't remember how this works… something about a rabbit and fox," he said, frowning and furrowing his brow as he stared at it. Myrtle had explained it yesterday and made him practice, but now he couldn't figure out how to tie it to save his life. "It's really bugging me."

Melanie smiled sympathetically and took it from his hands, placing it around his neck. "Here. The fox chases the rabbit around the tree… and down the hole," she explained, tying the knot for him. "Learned that trick from a movie."

"Nice," Kyle said with a smile as he smoothed down the front of his tie and tucked it into his jacket.

"If there's nothing else going on today, maybe I can help you and Myrtle with your training today," Melanie suggested a little coyly, straightening his lapels. Kyle smiled and leaned in to kiss her. He'd never had any plans to work as a domestic servant, and he never would have pictured himself as butler, but serving Melanie might not be so bad. He kind of liked it when she took charge.

"Your wish is my command," he said with a slight smirk, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"Good. Because I'm parched," Madison said, drawing their attention to the fact that she had returned. She sidled up to Kyle, looping her arm through his. "So how about you fix me a drink?"

"No alcohol, Madison," Melanie said with a frown, crossing her arms. They were still technically underage. The absinthe shots had with the others been okay since they were meant to be symbolic, and they each only had one. But Madison and recreational drinking were not a good combination with her addiction issues.

Madison rolled her eyes. "Whatever, _mom._ God, you're worse than Cordelia."

"Maybe you are the next Supreme," Zoe told Nan, having spent all night thinking about what Nan did and what Melanie had said. The two witches were hanging out in Nan's room to avoid the cold war that had begun to spring up between Melanie and Madison. "I mean, the way you got inside her head, only ever seen Fiona do that."

"Fiona's a bitch. I'm gonna be a nice Supreme," Nan said. Her smile fell. "I hear something."

"Yeah. You always hear something," Zoe said. Nan got up and left to follow whatever it was.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Protect the Coven**

* * *

"Thank you for helping me, Melanie," Cordelia told the younger witch while they worked together to sweep up and dispose of the shards of broken glass and pottery that littered the greenhouse floor.

"No problem. Everyone deserves at least one good meltdown," Melanie replied with a small shrug. "Feel any better now?"

"A little," Cordelia replied with a small smile, though she also felt a bit guilty for all the damage she had done to school property. "Myrtle said I should bottle and sell my coriander salad dressing…"

Melanie looked up at her from her position on the floor holding the dustpan and raised an eyebrow before looking down again with a slight smile on her face. "Well, she's not wrong about that. I bet you could make a fortune."

The corners of Cordelia's mouth twitched a little. "She also said I would make a good cruise ship hostess."

"What?" Melanie asked with a small laugh, stopping to look up at her. "Was she being serious? I mean, you could definitely pull it off, but it's pretty obvious we still need you here." Cordelia looked at her and set the broom down, leaning it against the table, and squatted down to draw Melanie into a hug as her eyes began to water with tears. _"We still need you here."_ Hearing those words had helped her far more than Melanie knew. Cordelia smiled and stroked the hair of the girl she had come to think of as a daughter while a lone tear of happiness and relief rolled down her cheek. Melanie never said anything she didn't mean. Fiona was wrong. _She_ had been wrong. She did still have a place where she belonged. And it was right here.

Melanie blinked, a little surprised by the sudden embrace, but she could tell Cordelia needed it, so she returned the hug and let her take her time recovering. "Feeling better?" she asked when Cordelia smiled and withdrew to hold her hands.

"Much," Cordelia said, sniffing a little while she whipped her cheek. "So, you and Kyle… how long has that been going on?" she asked a little teasingly. She had been rather surprised when she heard from her mother that Melanie had been the one harboring him.

Melanie looked away and fidgeted a little nervously. "I'm sorry. I was going to tell you after we took care of Fiona, but then she found him first..."

Cordelia smiled and laughed. "It's all right. I understand. I was your age once, too. Just remember to be careful… and be 'safe,'" she added a with tiny hint of mischief and a knowing look in her eyes.

"We are!" Melanie exclaimed a little defensively as her cheeks blushed bright red. She had already been on the pill for her period, and Madison had left a stash of condoms in her room, so they were totally covered. But it felt embarrassing discussing this with the woman she thought of as a mother. Cordelia's grin widened. Melanie was so cute when she was in love.

Myrtle closed her eyes as she raised her teacup and inhaled the fragrant aroma of the hot beverage inside. Kyle clutched the tray in his hands a little nervously while she took her first sip. Myrtle savored the flavor for a moment before looking up at the boy to give him an encouraging smile. "Oh! Well done, dear. I do believe you're improving. See, all it takes is practice, practice, practice! Why, I'm sure you'll have the difference between a canapé and an amuse-bouche down in no time at all."

"Still on tea?" Madison asked, making them look up as she swanned back into the sitting room and stretched out on the sofa. "Don't you think it's time you moved on to something stronger?" she asked Myrtle, sounding incredibly bored. She must be, since Kyle was busy with his training, and Cordelia had asked Melanie to help her clean up the mess she made in the greenhouse the previous evening. There was no way Madison was helping with that if she didn't have to.

"Something smells good," Zoe said, also wandering into the room to join them. She had followed her nose out of Nan's room when she caught the scent of something delicious wafting up the stairs.

"That'll be the canapés, dear. I've been teaching Kyle how to serve and differentiate between different types of hors d'oeuvres," Myrtle explained with a smile. They would be moving on to the other parts of the meal as the day progressed. "Why don't you go remove them from the oven?" she suggested with a glance at the boy. "I believe it's time."

Kyle nodded and left to fetch the appetizers. He was careful to remember to put the oven mitts on first—he would sometimes forget the proper order for things like that if he wasn't paying attention—and carefully removed the tray of toasted, cheesy crabmeat and mushroom canapés. Then he removed the amuse-bouche, which were actually little balls of goat cheese rolled in walnuts with grapes stuck on top using toothpicks, from the fridge and transferred the two hors d'oeuvres to the appropriate serving dishes before carrying them out on a tray to be served. He hadn't made them on his own, but it was still gratifying to see Myrtle and Zoe's satisfied reactions when they saw and tasted the finished product.

"I'm watching my figure," Madison said when he offered her some, too busy filing her nails to even spare the appetizers a glance. She was still trying to make up for that night she ate every single morsel of food in the house, before she found another way to fill the hole inside her. She frowned remembering the tender look in Kyle's eyes when she caught him and Melanie having a moment alone together earlier.

"Come on, Madison," Zoe said. "When's the last time you actually ate something?"

"Why don't you take some out to Cordelia and Melanie in the greenhouse, Kyle," Myrtle said. "I'm sure they're hungry. It's nearly lunchtime."

Kyle smiled and nodded, happy to have an excuse to visit Melanie. He turned to head for the greenhouse, but soon saw that there was no need. Melanie and Cordelia had come to them. They looked tired from all the cleaning they had been doing when they plopped themselves down in the remaining chairs in the room, so he poured two more cups of tea and served each of them.

"All finished?" Myrtle asked her darling girls. She couldn't help but notice how especially thoughtful this gesture was and how attentive the boy was towards Melanie, letting his hand linger a little longer than necessary on hers when he placed the teacup in her hands. She also noticed the light in Melanie's eyes when she looked up at him.

"Yes. Finally," Cordelia said, heaving a sigh of relief. She was never doing that again. Destroying everything may have been somewhat cathartic at the time, but the clean up had been a real pain. "Has anyone seen Misty? She asked me to teach her more about potions, but I haven't seen her all day."

"Maybe she changed her mind," Madison said, getting up to draw a cigarette from one of the dispensers. Melanie noticed it took her more tries than usual to get it lit.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen her since yesterday…" Melanie said.

"Me neither," Zoe said.

"Nor I," said Myrtle.

"Haven't seen her since we went out for kabobs," Madison said with a shrug, still standing with her back to them. The other witches all exchanged a glance and quickly set aside their tea and hors d'oeuvres to stand up. A witch going missing while they were under attack from witch hunters was no laughing matter. They all split up and began searching through the house for her from top to bottom.

"What's all this ruckus about?" Fiona asked when she and Marie saw how they were practically tearing the house apart.

"Mother. Have you seen Misty? We think she's gone missing," Cordelia said urgently. "No one can remember seeing her after yesterday afternoon." Fiona exchanged a glance with Marie.

"We'll go look for her outside," Fiona said. "You and the girls stay put." They were all startled when a horrified shriek pierced the air. Melanie and Kyle came bounding up the stairs with Madison and Myrtle behind them, while Zoe came rushing out of Nan's room to meet them.

"N-Nan! It's Nan!" Zoe yelled, looking extremely shaken. "I thought maybe she might have 'heard' something, but when I went to look for her…" She gasped and covered her mouth. "I found her in the bathroom…" They knew from the expression on her face that something terrible had happened. Everyone aside from Fiona and Marie immediately ran to see what had happened for themselves. Melanie was first through the door. She froze in shock, staring with wide eyes at the unreal scene before her. There in the bathroom, still fully clothed, Nan was floating in the water that filled the tub. Her eyes stared unblinkingly up at the ceiling. She wasn't breathing. Kyle quickly grabbed Melanie and held her close when he saw the pain in her eyes, while Cordelia and Myrtle gasped in horror.

"Shit," Madison said when she peeked around them and saw Nan's corpse. "Look who wasn't the next Supreme after all." That earned her a glare from virtually everyone in the room.

"Poor thing," Fiona said as she and Marie joined them, eying the macabre scene in the tub. "She must have slipped and hit her head while drawing a bath."

"Mm-mn. So tragic," Marie said with a shake of her head. Melanie furrowed her brow and tightened her grip on Kyle's jacket, while he stroked her hair.

"Our coven mourns. After facing so many trials, defending ourselves against onslaught. Forging enemies into friends. The witches of Miss Robichaux's Academy have fought for their lives, and won," Fiona said as they all stood gathered around Nan's coffin in the cemetery the next day. Melanie and Kyle stood side by side. She wore a black vintage 70s maxi dress made of chiffon with bell sleeves and black embroidery details, opaque black tights, and black ankle boots. Over that, she wore a long black lace vest, and on her head she wore a vintage black turban with a veil of birdcage netting peeking out from the folds to cover her forehead and eyes, while her long, straight hair flowed over her shoulders and back in sheets of pale platinum. "And so it is with great sadness that we must say goodbye to Nan, who fell in the tub." Melanie squeezed Kyle's hand, and he put his arm around her to comfort her. No one would know it between the stoic expression on her face and the makeup masking the signs of her grief, but she had cried last night while he held her after the lights were out. She knew Nan's death was no accident.

"Amen!" Marie said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"If only Misty Day were here to bring the poor girl back," Myrtle said quietly to Cordelia. They had searched all night for her, but to no avail. The future Supreme candidate was nowhere to be found.

"I have to do something, before one more of our girls dies," Cordelia whispered urgently.

"Your mother's Pol Pot in Givenchy," Myrtle said. "What can be done?"

"Whatever is necessary," Cordelia said, determined to protect Melanie and the rest of the girls who were still with them.

"Misty's probably twirled her way to the Everglades by now. Don't bother," Madison told them, smiling in an attempt to hide her nerves. But Melanie caught the faint note of anxiety in her voice, and she frowned slightly in suspicion. Fiona turned at the sound of a van pulling up to park a few plots away, and she and Marie began moving away from Nan's coffin to get a better look when the door opened and someone familiar emerged.

"Get out. Now!" Queenie said after walking around to the passenger's side of the car, pulling on a leash to get Delphine to come out. Melanie and the others' heads shot up when they heard her voice, and they quickly followed Fiona and Marie. "The gardener said you'd be here," she called out to the other witches as she approached them with Delphine trailing reluctantly behind her.

"You're alive?" Fiona asked, amazed.

"Bitch, you left me for dead," Queenie said, scowling angrily at Marie.

"Oh, girl, I thought you were," Marie said, throwing her arms open. "Oh, get your ass over here." Her attempt to hug Queenie was halted abruptly when Delphine sent a glob of spit flying into her face the moment she was within range. Marie gasped and cringed in disgust, while Fiona held a hand to her chest in surprise.

"That's for dismembering me," Delphine told her.

Marie bitch-slapped LaLaurie upside the head so hard that the portly racist nearly fell over. "And that's for coming back." She glanced at Queenie. "I thought I told you to put her white head in the trash."

"I had my own ideas," Queenie said.

"Queenie," Cordelia said softly, amazed and relieved to see her alive.

"You put her back together," Zoe said, noting how Delphine's head had been reattached to her shoulders.

"No scars," Kyle observed. He felt Melanie give his hand a little squeeze. Melanie had made a special cream to try to heal his scars, the same one she had used to get rid of her own from the attack that had left her without her memory all those years ago. But, for some reason, it didn't seem to be working as well on him as it should have.

"If I'd have done you, you wouldn't look like you'd been jammed through a blender," Queenie told him.

"The most important thing is that you're safe," Cordelia told Queenie.

"None of us are safe!" Fiona said sternly, turning to face her. "Why can't you understand that?" Cordelia blinked back the tears that still clung to her eyes from mourning Nan. "Okay, the funeral's over. Say your prayers as you exit," Fiona told everyone as she walked off, heading back to their car.

"I'm not going anywhere with any of y'all," Delphine said as Marie stepped around her to follow Fiona. "I've been suffering the tortures of the damned. I'm not taking another step! Oh!" she gasped and stumbled forward when Queenie started walking and tugged on her leash to make her follow. Madison readjusted her coat and went next, followed by Melanie and Kyle, who were still holding hands. Myrtle watched them as she brought up the rear with Cordelia. Despite the tragedy of Nan's death and the shadow of danger that still hung over all of them, Myrtle couldn't help but feel a small spring of hope well up inside of her heart while she watched her young ward and the new butler. They looked so beautiful together. Anyone with eyes could see the deep affection they held for each other. Cordelia might have felt the same if she had been paying attention to the young couple, but she was distracted by the sound of crows cawing nearby. She paused for a moment to glance back over her shoulder before continuing on her way. She couldn't help but feel there was something ominous about their cries.

When they returned to the school, everyone changed out of their funeral clothes. Fiona and Marie occupied the sitting room while they arranged a sit-down with the Witch Hunters to end this conflict. Delphine, who had been restored to her position as a maid, was giving them manicures and pedicures. Cordelia was in the greenhouse. Myrtle gave Kyle the rest of the day off, and retired to her room, so he and Melanie ended up settling down in their bed together for a much needed nap. Madison soon joined them, leaving Zoe to do whatever she wanted.

Delphine found the three of them in bed together when she came to clean Melanie's room. The immortal maid didn't think it was appropriate, but she said nothing and moved quietly while she carried out her chores. When she returned with a bag to remove the trash from the wastebaskets in the bedroom and the bathroom, she found Madison awake and primping herself in front of the mirror. She also found a rather unpleasant surprise in the toilet. "You left your dirt in the commode. Why don't you flush it?"

Madison laughed through her nose at her. "You flush my shit, bitch." Delphine rolled her eyes as the rude brat left the bathroom without so much as a backward glance. The begrudged maid moved to flush the toilet, but paused when she had a better idea.

That evening, Delphine served the witches a thick brown soup for supper. Myrtle lifted her spoon to have a taste, savoring the complex flavors. "Cumin. Coconut. Cardamom. Mulligatawny soup! I've been transported to Rajasthan! Bravo, Delphine!" she praised the maid ecstatically. "Magnifique!"

"It goes perfectly with the wine. Mmm," Madison said, taking another sip from her glass. Melanie ate another spoonful, wishing Kyle could join them. But as butler, he was currently working in the kitchen with Delphine. Delphine smiled as she turned away, deriving an immense feeling of satisfaction from knowing that she has slipped a secret ingredient into the soup that they were all devouring so greedily while the new butler boy wasn't looking.

Madison sighed, bored out of her mind, while she lay in bed with Melanie and Kyle again later that night, because he was apparently more interested in listening to Melanie read to him than in having sex. Madison was beginning to think Fiona broke him. What boy in their right mind would pick reading over screwing around? Did the bitch neuter him when she made him coven guard dog? Kyle rested his chin on Melanie's head while she turned to the next page in the book. He liked listening to the sound of her voice while he held her. Of course, there were other things that he would like to do to her as well, but he knew that once he made his move, Madison would, too. And he didn't like the thought of her kissing Melanie again. Melanie was fine with whatever as long as she could be close to Kyle without having to watch him kiss or sleep with Madison again.

When Myrtle went down to breakfast the next morning, she found Delphine pulling a tray of hot biscuits from the oven and Cordelia standing over the blender, whispering Latin into it. "Light as a goofer feather," Myrtle said as she selected one of the biscuits and popped it onto a napkin. "It's all about the lard, isn't it?" she remarked to the maid before moving to check on her little bird. "You seem half mad, dear," she told Cordelia.

"I had the sight once. I know it's still in me," Cordelia said, pouring some of the potion into a drinking glass. "It has to be. I think this could amplify it." Myrtle watched her down a large cup of the concoction in large gulps. While she was doing this, Queenie came down and started helping herself to breakfast. When she had finished off the potion, Cordelia immediately turned and got a biscuit from Delphine to get rid of the bitter taste it left in her mouth.

"Sorry to intrude, Cordelia," the gardener said, getting her attention as he entered the room. "I was pruning your fig trees." He held up his bleeding hand to show them the injury. Despite all the blood, the cut was small.

"Oh, figs, ah, figs, Mother Nature's brown diamonds. In the fall, the rotting leaves smell like an Olympian's ejaculate." Myrtle said wistfully. "Figgy pudding cures the blues and banishes acne. I'm mad for it."

"What did you do to your hand, James?" Cordelia asked, setting down her biscuit to examine the wound.

"Cut myself with the shears," James replied.

"Miss Cordelia, why don't you go and finish your breakfast, and I'll see to… James, was it?" Delphine asked politely, coming over to the gardener's side.

"Yes, ma'am," James said.

"Mm-hmm," Delphine said, and carefully led him away to tend to his wound.

Because they agreed that Nan's death was too suspicious—especially with Fiona's claim that she couldn't be revived—Zoe, Melanie, and Kyle had grabbed a quick bite to eat and retreated to Nan's room to perform a spell on her tub, hoping to uncover the identity of her killer. They were pretty certain they knew who was responsible, but it never hurt to be sure. And since Fiona hadn't returned yet from wherever she had gone out to last night, now was the perfect time to do it. Kyle stayed in the corner by the door to watch while the two witches turned out the lights and began the ritual by filling the tub with water and lighting a number of white candles and placing them about the room. Zoe had dressed in all black, while Melanie was wearing a dark-grey vintage Jurassic Park t-shirt tucked into a 70s style black button-up corduroy skirt, a black cardigan, sheer black stockings, and black ankle boots. The two girls kneeled before the tub, and held one slender candle between them while Zoe lit it with a match. Then, they began to chant the spell. "Elementum Recoligo huic locus. Commodo mihi vestry vox." Kyle glanced around when he felt a shift in the air. The girls each extended a hand over the tub. The water rippled and their reflections disappeared. "Elementum recoligo huic locus." Out of curiosity, Kyle began to quietly creep towards them on his hands and knees, hoping to get a better view of what was happening. "Commodo mihi vestri vox." When they finished their chant, Melanie and Zoe looked down to see a reflection of Fiona's face in the tub.

"Fiona. I knew it," Zoe said. "We knew it," she amended, glancing up to look at Melanie and then Kyle.

"Wait, there's more," Melanie said with her eyes still on the tub as another image began to form. Their eyes widened slightly in surprise when Marie Laveau's face stared back at them.

"My God, it was the both of them," Zoe said, while Melanie frowned. The girls exchanged a look and retracted their hands, ending the spell. "They drowned her. Why would they kill Nan?" Zoe asked.

"I'm not sure," Melanie said, furrowing her brow, "but those two working together means big trouble for us…" Kyle placed a hand on her back between her shoulder blades in an attempt to comfort her. They all looked up when the bathroom door creaked open, and Madison walked in.

"Oh, what have we here, a romantic bubble bath?" Madison asked sarcastically. She had come looking for them when she didn't see them at breakfast. She didn't like the idea of Melanie and Kyle being alone together for too long. She was semi relieved when she saw that Zoe was with them.

"We were trying to figure out what happened to Nan," Zoe told her, while Kyle blew out the candle in their hand for them. Madison just groaned quietly and examined her nails. "Don't you care at all?"

"Have you met me?" Madison asked, nonplussed. Zoe put the candle down on the floor and started walking out of the room.

"Misty was right," she said as she passed Madison, shooting her a look of contempt. "We should have let you rot." Melanie and Kyle stood up to follow her out. Melanie extinguished the rest of the candles in the room with a flick of her wrist. She had learned to use her power over fire to put it out as well as start it years ago. Kyle blinked, impressed by the display of power. Madison sighed and grabbed Kyle's hand, pulling him over to Nan's bed. She had him sit and put Nan's orange headphones over his ears.

"Here, Melanie and I need to talk," Madison said, causing Melanie and Zoe to both pause and glance back at her. "What's the deal, Melanie?" Madison asked angrily. "We were supposed to share him, then you had to go fall in love with him."

"As far I know, we still are," Melanie replied with a frown. She didn't bother denying how she felt about him.

Madison laughed. "So it wouldn't bother you if I got on my knee pads and blew him, right here, right now."

"That's enough, Madison," Zoe said firmly.

"You stay out of this," Madison said, pointing a finger at her. She had her chance. This had nothing to do with her now.

Melanie's frown deepened. Of course it would, but like Madison said, they had a deal. "I won't stop it, if that's what he wants." Though, she hoped and prayed he wouldn't.

"Thanks. You're a peach," Madison responded sarcastically. She promptly turned around, got down on her knees in front of Kyle, and started unzipping his pants. Melanie turned away. She didn't want to see this.

"Come on. You don't have to watch this," Zoe said, placing a hand on her shoulder to lead her out of the room. Kyle looked up in a panic when he realized what was happening, glancing between Madison and Melanie as Zoe opened the bedroom door. Even though she was turned away from him, Kyle could see enough of Melanie's face to recognize the expression she wore when she was trying not to cry. That was too much for him.

"No!" he yelled, shoving Madison away. Melanie and Zoe turned back to face him, startled by the sudden outburst. He ripped off the headphones as he stood up and crossed the room. "Not anymore. I love Melanie," he said, reaching out to take her hands and hold her close. Zoe smiled at the deeply touched and overjoyed expression on Melanie's face and watched with a feeling of satisfaction as the lovers gazed into each other's eyes and touched their foreheads together. It was beautiful, and she was happy for them.

Madison picked herself up off the floor and glared at them. "You think you can just throw me away for some little orphan Carrie?" she seethed. "I made you Kyle, not her. You owe me." Kyle sat down on the other bed they were standing by and glared back at the spoiled starlet. Melanie stepped forward to face her with Zoe at her side to back her up.

"No, he doesn't," Zoe told Madison. "He's not your salve."

"I told you before, Kyle isn't a toy. You don't own him just because you helped Zoe bring him back," Melanie added seriously. Madison turned her head to glare at mirror, cracking Melanie's reflection in it.

"God, you're such a brat!" Zoe said. The whole room started rumbling and shaking. Glass shattered across the floor when framed pictures fell from the walls.

Kyle had to quickly duck when a lamp suddenly flew past his head, and he was horrified when it crashed hard into the back of Melanie's. "Hey! No!" he shouted, quickly running over as Zoe tried to catch her when she started to fall, resulting in all three of them ending up kneeling on the floor together. Kyle and Zoe both cradled Melanie protectively while she held a hand to her aching head.

"You're such a bitch!" Zoe yelled angrily. Melanie was feeling a little disoriented after taking a metal lamp to the head, but she was still quick enough to put two and two together, and she waved her hand to use her own telekinesis to sweep Madison's feet out from under her, making her face-plant on the floor with a _thud._ Zoe smirked, and Madison glared daggers at them, scrambling to pick herself up as Myrtle burst into the room.

"What is all that racket _!_?" Myrtle demanded sternly, stopping short when she saw the broken mirror, lamp, and injured Melanie. It was fairly obvious what must have happened. She scoffed, doing her best to contain her anger. "Oh, Madison, you are the worst kind of Hollywood cliché: a bobble head with crotchless panties!"

"And you're a dried-up old Hot Pocket, but I don't judge," Madison replied smartly with a sassy smile, recovering some of her dignity.

Myrtle put her hands on her hips. "You can't speak to me that way—I am your elder."

Madison pulled out her cigarette case and lighter as she closed the distance between her and the older witch. "Welcome to the revolution, Carrot Top. As the next Supreme, I'm gonna drive this coven out of the Dark Ages. Crotchless panties for everyone. And as for you, Ken doll…" she said, glancing over at Kyle, while she took out a cigarette and put it in her mouth, "well, putting you together was fun…" She paused for a moment to light it and have a quick puff. She removed the cigarette from her mouth and exhaled the smoke. "But taking you apart's gonna be even more fun." She knew that would hurt Melanie the most.

Melanie narrowed her eyes at the threat and glared at Madison's back as she left the room. _Over my dead body_ , she thought, vowing to never let that happen.

Cordelia found Queenie sorting out her room. "Dirty Hippie can kiss my ass," Queenie said grudgingly as she started removing Misty's clothes from the closet to make room for hers.

"Queenie?" Cordelia said, letting her know that she was there. Queenie walked out of the closet to face her. "I thought that we should talk." Queenie just looked at her. "First of all, I'm very glad you're back."

"Yeah? Then why'd you give my room away?" Queenie asked challengingly, grabbing some of Misty's shawls from the bed and tossing them on the floor.

"You left us," Cordelia reminded her, moving further into the room. She leaned over to pick up the discarded items. "And you went across town to our sworn enemy."

"Who is right now in your guest room smoking a hookah," Queenie retorted, stepping forward to confront her. "Things around here change fast, but damn."

"A lot has happened…" Cordelia said.

"Yeah, your husband shot me in the stomach," Queenie said.

Cordelia looked down for a moment, feeling guilty. "To say I'm sorry doesn't begin…"

"It really doesn't," Queenie said unforgivingly. She was tired of everyone's bullshit. She turned away and started removing the few possessions she had left from her suitcase.

Cordelia bit her lip, but soon recovered her nerve. "Queenie. You… are a very strong and powerful young woman. But how did you survive?"

"Turns out I got some new powers," Queenie answered, placing the silver bullet in the other witch's hand. "I shot him right through my skull." She had used a handgun he dropped on the floor while passing her.

Cordelia stared at it in surprise, stunned. "He shot you with this?"

"Yes," Queenie said firmly, putting her hands on her hips. "And I survived. I'm starting to think I might be the next Supreme. Not even a silver bullet can stop me."

"Thank you," Cordelia said, grabbing her hands as she started to turn away again.

"Don't touch me," Queenie said, quickly pulling away.

"My eyes are open. And I promise I'm going to prove that to you and the girls," Cordelia reassured her.

"No offense, but since I left, one witch is dead and another one is missing," Queenie pointed out. "You are just as weak as you've ever been." Cordelia shook her head, but Queenie didn't believe her. "Might want to take one long-ass vacation. Let somebody else run this joint," Queenie told her, reaching out to hold the door open. "Now, get out. Now!" She slammed the door shut the moment Cordelia left the room.

Kyle sat on their bed in the room he shared with Melanie and tried to stay out of the way while he watched her and Zoe paint an enormous, stylized 'X' and various symbols that he didn't recognize across the floor in a dark red substance that looked like paint, but was actually some sort of potion that had been made with a mix of blood, herbs, and powders. A lit candle had been placed in each of the four corners of the room to represent the cardinal directions. "Thanks for helping me with this," Melanie told Zoe while they worked. She could have managed this protection spell on her own, but it would be stronger if it was backed by the magic of two casters. And it would prevent the spell from completely breaking if anything happened to her, so Kyle would still have some form of protection left if Madison or Fiona got to her.

"No problem," Zoe said. She totally got why Melanie didn't want to take any chances after the threats Madison just made. And it would be good to know they had a safe place to retreat to if she came after them.

"You should probably move in here with us," Melanie told her. "I don't think she's too thrilled with you for taking our side."

"I'll think about it," Zoe said, setting down her brush and moving to the center of the room. "You ready?" Melanie nodded. She set her brush down, too, and walked over to light the candle that was placed in the center of the 'X' marked on the floor. The two girls stood facing each other. Kyle watched as they took each other's hands and started chanting in Ancient Sumerian. His eyes widened in amazement when all of the candle's flames suddenly flared up, and the markings on the floor began to smolder, with the glow spreading out from the center towards the edges of the room as the spell progressed, permanently etching the protective seals into the wood.

Tears stained Cordelia's face while she clipped off a piece of a cactus to add to the potion she was making. She sobbed quietly while she crushed the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle. She was hurt by Queenie's words, but it wasn't just that. Queenie was right, and she knew it. Cordelia was afraid, but she knew what she had to do. She was desperate to protect Melanie and the other girls. In order to do that, she needed to regain her Sight. She reached her fingers into the mortar and scooped out some of the potion, applying it to her face around her eyes. Her lips trembled as she squeezed them shut, and another sob escaped her lips. She trembled for a moment, but she pushed through her fear. She removed her hands from her face and picked up her garden shears next, lining them up with her right eye. Her hand shook as she stared at it. It was now or never. Cordelia screamed as she plunged the shear into the healthy blue eye. She yanked the shears out and screamed again as she stabbed her brown eye, completely blinding herself. She dropped the shears and cradled her face while she wailed in agony.

Despite the calm expression on her face, Melanie felt nervous standing in front of Queenie's door. Kyle, who was standing beside her and holding the heavy cardboard box that she wanted to give the other witch, gave her a small, encouraging smile. Melanie knocked on the door. "What?" Queenie asked belligerently as she opened the door.

"I thought you might want your stuff," Melanie said, while Kyle set the box down and pushed it towards her.

Queenie stared at her in surprise. "You kept it?"

"Fiona said to throw it out, but I had a feeling you'd be back," Melanie said with a small shrug and turned to leave with Kyle.

"Why?" Queenie asked, feeling thoroughly confused. "I thought you hated me?"

Melanie stopped and looked back at her with her brow furrowed and frown on her face. "I never actually hated you. If I did, I wouldn't care what happened to you. Why do you think I was so angry? You were my friend, and you helped take someone I loved from me. I felt betrayed. I wouldn't have given you such a hard time if I didn't care."

Queenie blinked, stunned. "Does… Does this mean you forgive me?"

Melanie pursed her lips and looked down for a moment before facing her again. "I don't know. Maybe I am. It's harder to hold a grudge against you now that I have Myrtle back. And I don't think she would want me to. I'm still having trouble trusting you again, but you're definitely above Madison on my list of allies."

Queenie looked down at the box and then back up at Melanie. "Okay." That was good enough for now. At least she knew she could still count on Melanie to be honest with her. Queenie felt that she was a lot more reliable than Cordelia or any of the other adults in the house.

They were all startled when a breathless and very distressed Myrtle came bounding down the hallway towards them. "Melanie! Come quick! It's Cordelia!" she said, instantly sending the young witch on high alert. "You, too, Kyle, Queenie. I need help moving her."

"Were is she? What happened?" Melanie asked anxiously, doing her best to remain calm and not panic.

"Brace yourself, my dear," Myrtle said, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I'm going to need you to be very brave. I've stopped the bleeding, but our sweet Cordelia appears to have mutilated her own eyes with a pair of gardening shears!" Kyle and Queenie shared a disturbed look and glanced worriedly at Melanie, whose eyes had widened in horror. Her throat tightened and her mouth went dry as all the blood drained from her face.

Melanie forced herself to swallow and clenched her hands to stop them from trembling. "Take me to her."

Myrtle sat in a chair outside Cordelia's room while she waited for Fiona to return. She had called her to inform her of the incident once they had finished making Cordelia more comfortable. She was smoking a brown cigarette to calm her nerves and holding a small ashtray that bore the remains of the one she had finished off before it. "Cordelia!" Fiona shouted, rushing up the stairs, panting. "Is it true?"

"Your daughter's resting comfortably," Myrtle told her as she stood up and moved to face her. "I threw a little analgesic spell her way to help the pain. Searing, don't you know. Melanie is in there with her now, applying a healing balm." The dear girl had whipped it up especially for poor Cordelia. She was also giving her a sleeping potion to help her rest.

"She's taken out both eyes?" Fiona asked.

"The blue eye, the brown eye. Some of my best work, between us pigeons, all gone," Myrtle replied.

"Why?" Fiona asked.

"Because your daughter has become something you will never understand, Fiona. She's a hero," Myrtle said, taking another drag of her cigarette. "Your girl has ripped her own eyes straight out of her skull for one reason only: to protect the coven."

"From what? Huh? I'll take care of the Witch Hunters," Fiona said. "And when I do… this coven will have no more enemies."

"No enemies on the outside perhaps, but danger lurks within these blanched walls. Everyone knows it. She sacrificed her eyes to regain the second sight. And woe to those among us who harbor bad thoughts," Myrtle said.

"I have no secrets," Fiona said.

"Then, by all means, go to her," Myrtle said. "Comfort her. Put motherly hands upon your wounded daughter's flesh and watch your filthy secrets be brought to light, laid bare." Fiona had moved past her to enter Cordelia's room, but stopped to glance back at her. " 'No secrets.' Shame on you, Fiona. I deserve better lies than that," Myrtle told her as she continued forward again. "You are an enemy to this coven and will be so long as you live. But Cordelia has your number, Slim."

Fiona paused with her hand on the doorknob and glanced back at her again with an angry glare. "Go to hell, Myrtle Snow."

"For what?" Myrtle asked. "Allowing you to see your daughter?"

Fiona stared at her for a moment before leaving the door to head back to the stairs. "I'll be back. I just need a drink. Steady my nerves."

"See you soon," Myrtle said, not buying that for a minute.

Kyle stroked Melanie's hair and kissed her head before carefully scooping her up to carry her back to their room. She had insisted on staying by Cordelia's side and fell asleep holding her hand after a few hours. She was exhausted from the spell she and Zoe had cast earlier and the effort from having to hold in her tears and anxiety over Cordelia's injuries. He lay her down on their bed and removed her shoes. Then he climbed into bed with her and wrapped his arms around her. He smiled as he breathed in her scent. He was sorry about what happened to Cordelia. He knew she was important to Melanie. He was worried about Madison, but he knew they were safe in this room, and he was glad that he had finally made things clear and ended the three-way affair with her. He and Melanie finally had each other all to themselves. She was his, and he was never letting go. He looked up when the door opened with a soft _creak._

"Hey. How is she?" Zoe asked quietly, poking her head in through the door. Kyle held a finger to his lips and glanced at his sleeping Melanie in response. Zoe nodded and silently slipped into the room, carrying a suitcase. Apparently she had decided to take them up on their offer of sharing their safe haven. Kyle didn't grudge her for it, but it looked like he would have to wait a little longer to be completely alone with Melanie again. They both whipped their heads around to look at the open doorway when they heard a _zap_ and someone uttered a curse.

"What the hell _!_?" Madison shouted incredulously, shooting an accusing glare at Zoe. The moment she had tried to step into the room, she was sent jumping back with a yelp when she came in contact with the protective barrier around the room and received a painful shock as a deterrent. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Melanie and I set up a barrier to keep out anyone who intends us harm," Zoe replied coolly, crossing her arms as she stood facing her new enemy. "You threatened her and Kyle, remember? You didn't really think we would forget about that, did you?"

"So they had me locked out of their room? You didn't really take me serious, did you?" Madison asked with frown, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow at her in an attempt to appear high and mighty.

"I'm not letting you in," Zoe said firmly, while Kyle moved to stand beside her, protectively blocking Madison's view of Melanie on the bed. "Like I said, this barrier only blocks people who intend the occupants of this room harm. The fact that you can't enter proves you're a danger to us."

Madison scoffed. "I don't need to get in to hurt you." She stared hard into the room, trying and failing to make the objects inside move. The barrier was blocking her telekinesis, too. "I… you… fuck you and your little dog, too!" she stammered furiously, turning red in the face with anger. Zoe and Kyle watched quietly while Madison screamed in frustration and stomped off in a fit.

"Wow. I think that alone just made casting the spell worth it," Zoe said with a small smirk. The look on Madison's face had been priceless.

"What? Did someone just scream? What happened?" Melanie asked drowsily, rolling over in her bed to peer up at them through heavy eyelids. Zoe smiled a little wryly at her. Melanie must have been really tired to sleep through all of that. Zoe yawned. She was feeling pretty exhausted, too.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep," Kyle told Melanie softly, stroking her hair and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Melanie was only mildly surprised when she woke up the next morning to find Zoe sleeping in the other bed in their room. They used the bathroom in shifts, and Melanie and Kyle quickly changed out of their pajamas while Zoe was in it. Melanie threw on a grey mock-turtle neck, a 90s style spaghetti-strapped dress with a short skirt and a pattern very similar to the famous Burberry plaid, black over-the-knee socks, and white converses. Breakfast was quiet, and Melanie spent most of the morning and early afternoon looking after Cordelia while Kyle continued his training. She was surprised again when she received a message later that day via Queenie that Myrtle wanted to talk to her while she was changing Cordelia's bandages.

Myrtle played her theremin while she waited for Melanie to come meet her in the greenhouse the next day. She had given what she was about to say a lot of thought and serious consideration. "You wanted to see me?" Melanie asked as she joined her.

Myrtle looked up and stopped playing the instrument so she could pick up a small leather box. "Come in, Melanie. I have something for you."

Melanie glanced curiously at the older witch when she handed the box to her, wondering what could be in it.

"Good God, chickie, don't look at it!" Myrtle exclaimed when she started to open it. "You'll be blinded by the sheer craftsmanship."

"What is it?" Melanie asked.

"My only possession of value," Myrtle replied. "A sapphire and topaz harvester ant made for me by Joel Arthur Rosenthal, the Fabergé of our time. The harvester ant is one of the most venomous creatures in the world, along with Fiona, and JAR—as the world knows my dear Joel—toiled on it for months."

"Do you want me to wear it?" Melanie asked, unsure why she would give her something so valuable now.

"You could never pull it off, darling. Well, perhaps in a few years, when you've had a chance to mature," Myrtle amended after pausing very briefly to consider it. "But at the moment only Lee Radziwill or myself could do it justice. Now listen to me carefully: I want you to hock it in case of emergency."

Melanie stared at her and blinked. "I'm completely lost here, Myrtle." Was the coven suddenly in financial trouble?

"You're leaving this coven, Melanie. And you're taking Kyle with you," Myrtle stated seriously, surprising her.

"I do love Kyle… but I'm not leaving," Melanie said. How could she even think that?

"I watched you and Kyle together at Nan's funeral. Such a pair. So much in love," Myrtle said with admiration. "As the great Keats would say, 'More happy love! More happy, happy love! Forever warm and still to be enjoyed. Forever panting and… forever young.'" She finished softly, staring off into the distance. Melanie recognized the quote. She knew it well. She had read it to Kyle herself from her collection of great English Romantic poets. "I had a love like that once," Myrtle said as she started playing the theremin again. "Egon von Furstenberg. He dumped me, but everything worked out all right in the end. You know why?" Melanie waited quietly for her to answer the rhetorical question. "Because, he went on to marry the divine Diane. And without Egon's support, Diane von Furstenberg never would have created the greatest invention of the century, the wrap dress!" Myrtle exclaimed, gasping in admiration. She stopped playing again and turned off the theremin. "If you stay here, your life is in grave danger," she told Melanie seriously as she approached her to take her hand.

"I can handle Madison," Melanie said. She wouldn't let her guard down again.

"She'd slit your throat, then sleep like a baby," Myrtle said.

"She'd have to get past the protective barrier I set up first," Melanie replied.

"She won't let that stop her. I understand Madison. The depth of her cynicism," Myrtle said grimly. "Unlike you, who outwardly pretend not to care, but still feel deeply on the inside; Madison acts like she doesn't care, because she truly doesn't. The girl has no empathy for others." She knew Melanie was a powerful young witch, and she could be cold and calculating when she needed to be. But so was Madison, and that Hollywood terror was far better at being cruel. She had a mean streak that ran as deep as the Marianas Trench. Myrtle gave Melanie's hand a little squeeze. She couldn't bear the thought of any harm coming to the darling girl. "Go. You and Kyle. Run away together and start your life over."

"Faithless is she who says farewell when the road darkens," Melanie said with a small frown.

"Oh, darling, please don't quote Tolkien at me right now." Myrtle said with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm committed to this coven, Myrtle," Melanie said firmly.

"So was I, and I burned at the stake for it," Myrtle reminded her.

"What if I'm the next Supreme?" Melanie asked. Something told her she wasn't, but she didn't really see the point in running when Fiona or Madison could just hunt her down later if one of them came out on top. If it came to that, she'd rather stay here and fight.

"All the more reason to run," Myrtle replied somberly. "If Madison doesn't end you, Fiona will." Melanie looked away from her.

"Melanie… you have a boy who loves you," Myrtle said earnestly.

"And I love him. But he isn't the only one I care about," Melanie said seriously, looking back at her. "I can't leave you and Cordelia while you're in danger, especially not in her current condition."

"Please, don't worry about us," Myrtle said. "My dear, you've spent your whole life at the mercy of someone else's whims. Do something for yourself for once."

"I am," Melanie said with a frown. "I'm not going to run away just because you told me to. I want to do this, Myrtle. I want to stay."

"Our dear Cordelia plucked her eyes out to protect this coven, to protect you, and you have the gall to ignore my words of warning and support?" Myrtle asked, starting to get frustrated with Melanie's dangerously unwavering loyalty. "You say you want to protect us, but what about Kyle? Are you going to protect him, or will you continue to put him in harm's way, too?" Melanie bit her lip, and Myrtle could see that she had finally hit a chink in her armor. She let go of Melanie's hand to retrieve a wooden box and opened it to show her its contents. "Don't worry about Cordelia, she'll understand. Now, take these tickets to Epcot and my JAR jewels and pack your bags." She closed the box and placed it in Melanie's hands. Melanie looked at the two boxes she was holding and then back at Myrtle. Then she reached out and hugged her guardian. Myrtle wrapped her arms around her young ward and held her close.

"Thank you, Myrtle," Melanie said quietly. "But I have to talk this over with Kyle before I make a decision. Whether we stay or leave… he should have a say in it. He has the right to make his own choice." Myrtle closed her eyes and sighed. She knew Melanie was right, bless her. But she also knew that if Kyle chose to go, then she would go with him. So she prayed the boy would do the sensible thing and take her far away from this wretched hive of villainy and deception.

"It looks like he's warming up to you," Zoe said with a smile, noticing how much closer Nox was willing to get to Kyle, even without Melanie around to encourage him. He was lying in Melanie's spot on the bed beside Kyle.

"I guess…" Kyle said, eying the black cat a little warily. He was afraid that he might hurt Nox the way he hurt the dog. He had seen how much Melanie loved the cat, so he knew she would be crushed if anything happened to it.

"Why don't you try petting him?" Zoe suggested. Kyle looked at her with wide eyes, alarmed by the suggestion. He was saved from being pressured any further to attempt it, when the door opened, and Melanie returned.

"Uh, Zoe… could I have a moment alone with Kyle?" Melanie asked. "We need to talk." Kyle tensed a little, wondering if he had done something wrong.

"Sure," Zoe said, glancing a bit curiously between them as she stood up to leave the room. She closed the door behind her to give them some privacy. Nox seemed to take the hint, too, because he hopped off the bed and trotted into the bathroom.

Melanie set the boxes in her hands on the nightstand and took Kyle's hand in hers as she sat down next to him on the bed. "Kyle… do you want to leave this place?" Kyle looked up at her in alarm and shook his head fiercely.

"No! No, I won't leave you!" he said anxiously, grabbing her by the shoulders. Nothing in this world could ever make him do that!

"I'm not asking you to," Melanie said gently, reaching up to cup his face in her hands. "We could go together, if that's what you wanted." Kyle blinked and stared at her, stunned. He was relieved to hear that, but he was also surprised. He didn't think that Melanie would ever leave the coven, especially not while the others were in danger. This wasn't like her.

"Why are you saying this?" he asked.

"Because Myrtle asked me to go. She wants us to leave. She even gave us her most prized possession and two tickets to Epcot," Melanie replied with a small, sad smile.

Kyle blinked again. "Why?"

"Because it's dangerous here. She's worried for our safety. It's very likely that more people are going to die before this is over," Melanie explained calmly squeezing his hand slightly.

"I'll protect you," Kyle said seriously, squeezing her hand back and looking her straight in the eye. "I'd die again before I let anything happen to you." Melanie bit her lip. That was exactly what she was afraid of.

"Forget about me and the coven for a moment. You don't have to do this," she told him. "What do _you_ want? You didn't get to choose before, but… now you can. You can still live a normal life, Kyle. It's not too late for you to be an engineer like you wanted. I'm sure we can find a way to make it happen. I'm not scared of Fiona or Madison. And I'm not afraid to leave the coven as long as I have you with me." She frowned slightly, puzzled and worried when Kyle suddenly pulled away from her.

"But I am," he said, clenching his fists while he avoided eye contact. "I'm afraid. I'm not going."

"Why? Of what? Me?" Melanie asked, tilting her head to look at him.

"Of me," Kyle replied quietly, still not looking at her. "Of me… hurting you or somebody else." He held his face in his hands. He felt safe in the school. Here there were other witches around to stop him and save her if he ever lost control, but out there they would be on their own. It would be too easy for him to hurt her if he snapped again. He couldn't bear the thought of that happening. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. "I have these feelings inside that I can't… I can't control."

Melanie frowned with concern when Kyle sniffed. Tears were forming in his eyes and he looked like he was trying very hard not to cry. "But you've been doing better…"

"No, I haven't! I killed a dog the day Fiona 'fixed me' because I wanted to hug it! I can't even bear the thought of what would happen if I touched Nox and the same thing happened," he cried.

Melanie moved closer and wrapped her arms around him while he sobbed into his hands. She was also concerned about that, but she knew he would never do anything to hurt her on purpose. And she knew a little something about what it felt like to not be able to trust yourself after going through an unexpected transformation, to be afraid that you might suddenly hurt everyone around you. What Kyle needed most right now was someone who believed in him. Someone who could see beyond their fear and see the man that was still inside the monster he thought he was. "I'm not scared of you," she told him, leaning closer. "I'm not… scared of you." Kyle tried to turn away from her. She started stroking his hair. "You may not think it, but to me you're worth the risk." She placed her lips next to his ear and whispered the quote from Keats. "More happy love. More happy, happy love. More happy love." She gasped, a little startled, when Kyle suddenly turned and grabbed her, clamping his large hands on the side of her face and neck.

He stared long and hard at her, searching and studying every detail. There was no fear in her eyes. Only surprise, and love. A love as deep and sincere as his own. He wondered how he got so lucky and fervently thanked whatever force had brought the two of them together. He stroked her hair and kissed her nose. "You don't really want to leave, do you?" he said, holding her close. It was more of a statement than a question.

Melanie shook her head and leaned against him, clutching his shirt. "No, I don't. I don't like the idea of running away and leaving everyone else behind to fight. But I don't want anything to happen to you, either. I wanted to at least give you a choice," she said, looking up at him.

"You have," he said, stroking her hair again. And he loved her all the more for it. "And I choose you. I want to stay and help you fight. I want to protect what's important to you."

"You're important to me. Don't ever forget that," Melanie said seriously, furrowing her brow slightly with concern.

Kyle smiled and kissed the small crease in her forehead. "I won't," he promised.

"Oh, no," Myrtle said with a dread-filled sigh when Melanie came to inform her of their decision later that evening. "Please tell me this doesn't mean what I think it does. Melanie, you can't possibly continue to stay here at the academy. I won't allow it. You were supposed to spend your days in romantic splendor with your true love. You're just like Halston, when he sold his brand to J.C. Penny. You've forsaken your destiny."

"No, I've embraced it. We're staying, because we feel that this coven is where we belong, and we want to protect it," Melanie said, returning her JAR jewels to her. "But I'm keeping the tickets to Epcot. I want to take him there when this is all over." She didn't want Kyle to live the rest of his life locked away in the coven like a caged bird. She wanted to show him that he didn't have to be afraid. And what better than a visit to 'the happiest place on earth,' in sunny Orlando to chase away the darkness from their hearts when all was said and done? "But thank you for worrying about us. For everything," Melanie said, wrapping her arms around her guardian in another hug.

Myrtle accepted the jewels and held the dear girl tightly, hoping desperately that the young lovers wouldn't come to regret their decision not to run while they still could.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait!

* * *

 **Previously:**

 _Melanie moved closer and wrapped her arms around him while he sobbed into his hands. She was also concerned about that, but she knew he would never do anything to hurt her on purpose. And she knew a little something about what it felt like to not be able to trust yourself after going through an unexpected transformation, to be afraid that you might suddenly hurt everyone around you. What Kyle needed most right now was someone who believed in him. Someone who could see beyond their fear and see the man that was still inside the monster he thought he was. "I'm not scared of you," she told him, leaning closer. "I'm not… scared of you." Kyle tried to turn away from her. She started stroking his hair. "You may not think it, but to me you're worth the risk." She placed her lips next to his ear and whispered the quote from Keats. "More happy love. More happy, happy love. More happy love." She gasped, a little startled, when Kyle suddenly turned and grabbed her, clamping his large hands on the side of her face and neck._

 _He stared long and hard at her, searching and studying every detail. There was no fear in her eyes. Only surprise, and love. A love as deep and sincere as his own. He wondered how he got so lucky and fervently thanked whatever force had brought the two of them together. He stroked her hair and kissed her nose. "You don't really want to leave, do you?" he said, holding her close. It was more of a statement than a question._

 _Melanie shook her head and leaned against him, clutching his shirt. "No, I don't. I don't like the idea of running away and leaving everyone else behind to fight. But I don't want anything to happen to you, either. I wanted to at least give you a choice," she said, looking up at him._

 _"You have," he said, stroking her hair again. And he loved her all the more for it. "And I choose you. I want to stay and help you fight. I want to protect what's important to you."_

 _"You're important to me. Don't ever forget that," Melanie said seriously, furrowing her brow slightly with concern._

 _Kyle smiled and kissed the small crease in her forehead. "I won't," he promised._

 _"Oh, no," Myrtle said with a dread-filled sigh when Melanie came to inform her of their decision later that evening. "Please tell me this doesn't mean what I think it does. Melanie, you can't possibly continue to stay here at the academy. I won't allow it. You were supposed to spend your days in romantic splendor with your true love. You're just like Halston, when he sold his brand to J.C. Penny. You've forsaken your destiny."_

 _"No, I've embraced it. We're staying, because we feel that this coven is where we belong, and we want to protect it," Melanie said, returning her JAR jewels to her. "But I'm keeping the tickets to Epcot. I want to take him there when this is all over." She didn't want Kyle to live the rest of his life locked away in the coven like a caged bird. She wanted to show him that he didn't have to be afraid. And what better than a visit to 'the happiest place on earth,' in sunny Orlando to chase away the darkness from their hearts when all was said and done? "But thank you for worrying about us. For everything," Melanie said, wrapping her arms around her guardian in another hug._

 _Myrtle accepted the jewels and held the dear girl tightly, hoping desperately that the young lovers wouldn't come to regret their decision not to run while they still could._

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Go To Hell**

* * *

Melanie had a strange dream that night. She dreamt that she was in an old, silent, black and white movie. A worn and slightly warped music record of one of Chopin's Nocturne pieces on the piano was playing in the background as a group of young witches dressed like early puritans came out onto the set outside a wooden barn. A large disc of light hung in the black sky to represent a full moon. Words were shown on the screen to explain what was supposed to be happening: "Guided by ancient tradition witches survive only if united under a strong, singular authority." Melanie entered the barn with the rest of the girls. She was aware of them, but they didn't seem to be aware of her. To them she was a ghost, an invisible spectator. " 'Every generation needs its leader The Supreme. No simple test could ever determine the sovereign among us. We rely upon seven.' The Seven Wonders." Melanie watched while the chosen candidate, a young witch who wasn't much older than her, stared at a sickle hanging from the barn wall and raised her hand. "The 'Seven Wonders'. Seven acts of magic so advanced, each pushes the boundaries of craft into art." The candidate, whose name Melanie sensed was Abigail, furrowed her brow in concentration and the sickle flew into her waiting hand. "Telekinesis." The girl smiled smugly at her accomplishment, but she seemed a little out of breath.

The scene shifted to show a waning moon, and the girls bowed in greeting as another witch entered the barn. "Control of the mind, also known as… Concilium." The other girls laughed while Abigail made the older witch waddle around and flap her arms like a chicken.

Next, a quarter moon was shown, and another witch arrived at the barn. "Transmutation." She found the candidate sitting on a hay bale. The candidate turned to look at her, then promptly disappeared in a hokey puff of smoke and reappeared behind the other witch to tap her on the shoulder, making her gasp and clutch her chest as she turned around to face her.

"Divination." One witch stood holding a stuffed bird behind her back, while another held a tablet of slate for Abigail to draw on with a piece of chalk. When Abigail was done, she took the slate and turned it around to show the witch holding the bird. The witch then smiled and held the bird out in front of her to show that her answer had been correct. "Vitalum Vitalis. '… The balancing of scales between one life force and another…'" Abigail leaned over the corpse of another witch and breathed life back into her. The resurrected witch opened her eyes, and the signs of decay quickly faded from her face until she glowed with a healthy complexion. Abigail smiled, but then suddenly looked down at her own hands to find that they were now showing signs of illness and turning dark. Although she had managed to bring the other witch back, she hadn't balanced the exchange of life force correctly.

The scene shifted to show Abigail sitting on the floor with her eyes closed and chanting a spell. "Descensum. '… A perilous descent into the nether world of the afterlife…'" A faint copy of Abigail's image, representing her soul, rose up from her body to float briefly by the crescent moon, and then descended back down to show her soul's return. Abigail opened her eyes again and collapsed.

"Pyrokinesis." Abigail stood outside under the new moon with the rest of the witches sitting and kneeling around her. One of them handed her a knife, and she used it to cut her hand. Melanie wasn't sure why. She had never needed to cut herself to use her powers before. Melanie watched Abigail hand the knife back to the other witch and turned to face one who was holding a lit candle. She let her blood drip into the flame, but instead of extinguishing it, her entire body suddenly burst into flames. The other witches fell back and shielded their eyes from the horrible scene while Abigail's mouth stretched open wide in a silent scream.

Melanie opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder and realized a fully dressed Zoe was shaking her away. It was morning already. "Hey. It's time to wake up. You don't want to oversleep, do you?" Zoe asked. Melanie thought that was debatable.

Melanie sat up yawned while she stretched. "Where's Kyle?"

"He's already downstairs," Zoe replied with a shrug. He had wanted to give her a chance to sleep longer since she had trouble falling asleep the previous evening.

"Okay," Melanie said drowsily and dragged herself from the bed. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and hair, and pulled on a thin robe before heading downstairs. She didn't want to spend too much time primping and miss breakfast.

In the end, it didn't make much difference. The kitchen was empty, but a plate of food had been left out for her on the counter, covered by a silver cloche to keep it warm. Melanie smiled, knowing she probably Kyle to thank for it, and carried it over to the table to eat. He must have been continuing his training with Myrtle in another part of the house. She was only about halfway through the meal when Queenie came into the kitchen, also still in her nightclothes. "Hey. I need your help with something," she said urgently.

"Madison?" Cordelia asked as she opened the door to the younger witch's room and shuffled blindly into it with her cane. She let the door shut behind her. "I need your help."

"Jesus, Cordelia. You look like shit," Madison said, moving away from her. She was in the middle of appropriating some items that Zoe had left behind when she switched rooms. The teacher looked even worse than when she'd had acid thrown on her face. "I can't believe you did that to yourself."

Cordelia ignored the girl's callous comments and moved further into the room to approach her. "I've been in Misty's room trying to see something. I've held her boots, hair from her brush. Nothing."

Madison turned to face her. "I hate to be the Debbie Downer, but maybe she's gone."

"Or maybe my gift of the Sight hasn't come back," Cordelia said. Madison took a step back when she raised her hand to reach for her. There was a _woosh_ and a sudden shift in the air currents.

"Whoa! That was cool!" Madison said, suddenly on other side of the room. "I didn't even have to think about it. It just happened."

"I wouldn't read too much into it, Madison," Cordelia said. "You can manifest multiple powers without being the Supreme. Our powers always spike in times of crisis." Her cane tapped against the floor as she closed the distance between them again. "This is one of those times. Madison, I need to touch you. She reached her hand out again. And, once again, Madison used transmutation to evade her.

"Tell me the truth, Cordie," Madison said, now standing by the door. "Are you into girls now?"

"The last time I touched you, I saw things. What are you afraid I might see?" Cordelia asked. "Nothing stays secret for very long in this house, Madison. It will come to light whether you want it to or not."

"I don't have any secrets," Madison said, lying through her teeth.

"Then walk over here," Cordelia dared her. She waited, listening carefully as the sound of Madison's boots against the floor drew nearer until they were standing only a foot apart.

"Knock yourself out," Madison told her. Cordelia flinched a little when she leaned in unexpectedly and said, "Boom, boom." Cautiously, Cordelia reached her hand out and gripped the younger witch's shoulder. She waited a beat. Nothing. Cordelia moved her hand over to Madison's face and then her other shoulder. Again, nothing. She reached for her wrist. Still nothing. "Aw," Madison said with mock sympathy before ripping her hand away. Cordelia gasped at the violence behind the movement. She could feel the girl's scorn.

After Melanie finished braiding her hair and pulling on a faded red Coca-Cola t-shirt, vintage blue jean dungarees, and her white converses, she regrouped with Queenie and Zoe in the black witch's room. Queenie had said she needed their help to find Marie Laveau, because she found blood in the greenhouse and was worried Delphine did something to her. "So, what do you want us to do?" Zoe asked her while she flipped through her book of voodoo spells and lore.

"I need you to guard my body for me," Queenie said. Zoe and Melanie exchanged a look.

"What does that mean?" Zoe asked.

"There's only one person who can answer my question. Papa Legba," Queenie replied, shutting the book. She put it next to her pillow and lied back on her bed.

"Who?" Zoe asked again, wishing she could be less vague.

"He's a voodoo deity, the loa, or spirit, who serves as the intermediary between the loa and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives or denies permission to speak with the spirits of the underworld," Melanie explained, starting to understand Queenie's intentions. "You're performing Descensum?" she asked Queenie, furrowing her brow with concern.

"Yep," Queenie said with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's why I need you to watch my back, to make sure Madison or Fiona don't get to me while I'm out. Now quit asking questions. I need to concentrate."

"Okay. But be careful. I've read time moves differently in the spirit world. Come back before sunrise tomorrow, or you'll turn into a pumpkin. And don't eat or drink anything there, or you might not be able to return at all," Melanie said seriously with a frown.

"Got it," Queenie said. She took a deep breath and focused her intent while she closed her eyes and chanted the spell. "Spiritu duce, in me est. Deduc me in tenebris vita. Ad extremum ut salutaret 'inferi." She opened her eye again and saw her a relfection of her own spirit floating above her. She gasped in surprise, but quickly calmed herself. "Descensum."

"Hey, shouldn't one of us have gone with her?" Zoe asked while they guarded Queenie's unmoving body. From their point of view, it looked like Queenie had just stared at the ceiling and then fallen into a deep sleep.

"Maybe, but since Papa Legba is a voodoo deity, he'll probably be more likely to talk to her than either of us. And there's no guarantee that our souls would end up in the same place," Melanie said.

"What do you mean?" Zoe asked.

"In many cultures, hell is described as a complex structure with different levels or regions, like the circles described in Dante's Inferno. You might say there are as many different 'hells' as there are people. Where the soul ends up depends on the life led by the individual. No two people are exactly the same, and we've sinned differently, so it's possible we could end up in a different level than her," Melanie explained calmly, taking a seat in a chair.

Zoe swallowed a nervous lump that had formed in her throat at that unpleasant thought and sat down on the other bed in the room. "Okay. So, now what?"

"Now, we wait," Melanie replied, resting her chin on the back of the chair.

And that's exactly what they did. They waited and waited. Hour after hour passed. They spent the whole day in Queenie's room. Kyle brought their meals to the room for them when he found out what they were up to. Sunset soon turned to midnight, and Melanie and Zoe began to worry that Queenie might not make it back in time.

Madison glared into the empty room that Melanie and Kyle now shared with Zoe, wondering where everyone was. She had caught glimpses of Kyle training with Myrtle, but hadn't seen Melanie or Zoe all day. She narrowed her eyes at the protective symbols on the floor of their room and wondered if she could use transmutation to get around them. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Fiona said as if she could read her mind, making her jump. "That's no ordinary protective spell," the Supreme said with an appreciative chuckle, lighting up a cigarette. "Try to break through by force, and you'll be incinerated."

"Maybe you've forgotten, but I can control fire now," Madison said smartly.

Fiona laughed again and smirked at her. "Just because you can start a fire, doesn't mean you can put one out. You might win in terms of raw power, when it comes to skill, that girl definitely has you beat. If that girl ever gets serious about attacking, you won't stand a chance." Fiona exhaled smoke in the entitled brat's face and walked off. She wasn't concerned about either one of them. As far as she knew, Melanie had only manifested powers of pyrokinesis and divination. Madison had developed more, but she was sloppy and undisciplined. Taking them out should be easy for her.

"Something's wrong. Should it be taking this long?" Zoe asked anxiously.

"We need to wake her up, bring her back before it's too late," Melanie said, moving to shake Queenie awake. Kyle straightened up a little from his slumped position against the wall, wondering if there was anything he could do to help.

"There's no need for that," a deep voice said, startling both girls. Melanie and Zoe whipped their heads around. A mysterious fog had begun to creep across the floor, and strange man was now sitting in the chair that Melanie had once occupied. Kyle immediately bolted to his feet, taking up a protective stance.

"Wait," Melanie said, stopping him before he could move any closer to the dangerous intruder. With intense waves of dark power rolling off of him, it was easy to tell that he wasn't human. She took in the stranger's appearance carefully. Red eyes that glowed like hot embers. Dark skin with white face paint reminiscent of a skull. Dreadlocks. A top hat and coat. And a cane. All archetypal symbols associated with a certain voodoo deity. "Are you Papa Legba?" Zoe tensed in anticipation of his answer.

"A white witch who knows how to recognize a voodoo loa. Not bad," The spirit complimented her with a toothy grin.

"I read," Melanie said humbly with a straight face, while they watched him scoop a small amount of white powder out of a little jar with his long nail and snort it. It was important to know and understand one's enemy. She wasn't privy to the most intimate knowledge of voodoo, but there was enough already floating around the public domain about the odd religion for her to have a basic understanding of its magic. Queenie suddenly gasped loudly and bolted upright into a sitting position.

Papa Legba sighed and glanced at her, resting his hands on his cane. "You made it back. I'm impressed."

"Now that I've proven my power, you're gonna give me some answers," Queenie said coolly.

Papa Legba smiled, as if this amused him. "All right. But only you."

"No way. We're not leaving you alone with her," Zoe said protectively.

"She's the only one who made the journey," Papa Legba said calmly. "So, unless you're willing to take the plunge into the nether realms, I suggest you make yourselves scarce. Good luck getting back, if you do," he finished by flashing them a devious smirk that made their skin crawl. They could tell that he would like nothing better than for them to end up trapped in his domain for the rest of eternity.

"What do you want to do, Queenie?" Melanie asked. Since this was a voodoo matter, she thought they should let Queenie take the lead.

"Isn't it obvious?" Queenie retorted. What was the point of doing all of this if they were going to quit before getting any information? "Now that I'm back, I can take care of myself. You guys don't need to do anything. Papa Legba and I are going to have a chat. Make sure no one else disturbs us."

Zoe, Melanie and Kyle listened at the door of the kitchen while they kept guard to make sure no one stumbled upon Queenie's clandestine meeting with the voodoo deity. After Queenie served him some hot chocolate, he told her about what had happened to Marie. Apparently Delphine, A.K.A. Madame LaLaurie, had somehow managed to subdue her long enough to tie her up and saw her into little pieces. Since Marie couldn't die, she had felt every moment of agony. The immortal racist then planted the voodoo queen's body parts all over the city. That explained why no one had seen the maid all day. She had made a break for it after disposing of her oldest and most feared enemy. "There's got to be a way to kill her," Queenie said, fed up with Delphine's cruelty. She was clearly too dangerous to leave at large.

"So long as the voodoo queen live, so do Madame LaLaurie," Papa Legba replied. He held his cup out to her. "More marshmallows."

"Then you need to take Marie Laveau out of the equation for me," Queenie told him, adding more marshmallows to his mug from the bowl on the table with a pair of tongs.

"Can't do that," Papa Legba said. "Me and Marie Laveau—we got a deal."

"I thought your deal was that every year she needs to perform a service for you."

"So it is," Papa replied, stirring in the marshmallows.

"Well, she's not gonna be doing anything while she's chopped into fifty pieces and those pieces are scattered all over the city," Queenie pointed out. Papa stopped stirring and looked at her. "Technically, you can say she's already in breach, right?" Queenie didn't exactly hate Marie, but Melanie and Zoe had filled her in on how she had helped Fiona kill Nan, and Queenie didn't like the idea of those two teaming up against them. She decided the immortal voodoo queen had lived long enough. And with Marie gone, Delphine would be mortal again. This way, they could kill two birds with one stone.

"You are one crafty witch," Papa Legba told her, and they each raised their mug to toast the other, signaling that they had come to an agreement. With that settled, Papa Legba finished his cocoa and left.

At first, Queenie was determined to settle things with Delphine on her own, but Zoe and Melanie convinced her that they all shared some responsibility in the matter since Delphine had been brought back out into the world by their coven's Supreme. They felt it was their job to help clean up the coven's mess. Melanie also pointed out how dangerous confronting the sadistic racist alone could be since she had already managed to take the powerful Marie Laveau down. So Queenie eventually agreed to let them come along as her back up on the condition that she got to be the one to deliver the final blow. Since it was already morning by this time, they showered and changed into some fresh clothes. Melanie wore a wide-brimmed black hat, a dark green sweatshirt with vintage patches and pins around the shoulders tucked into her black corduroy skirt, sheer black tights, and black ankle boots. After a quick tarot reading, a dowsing session using a pendulum and a map of the city, and some educated guesswork, they made their way to Delphine's old home when they saw the pendulum landed on the French Quarter. With her limited knowledge of the 21st century and narrow worldview, they knew there weren't many other places that Delphine would've gone. They all grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading out to take care of business. "Be careful," Kyle told Melanie, giving her a kiss as he saw them off.

"I'll be all right," Melanie reassured him, returning his kiss. "I'm more worried about you. Don't hesitate to seek shelter if Madison threatens you while we're gone," she said seriously. Myrtle and Cordelia would also be there, but that hadn't stopped Madison from attacking them before.

"Hey! You coming? Or are you two gonna stand there and suck face all day?" Queenie asked sassily, starting to get impatient.

Melanie gave Kyle another quick kiss and hurried over to join Zoe and Queenie at the gate. "Coming!" she called. Kyle gripped the door tightly while he watched them leave, and then quietly shut it once they had disappeared from his sight. He hoped Melanie would return soon. He knew she was strong, but he didn't like the idea that something could happen to her while he wasn't around. After all, Delphine may be mortal now, but, as Melanie had pointed out earlier, it didn't change the fact that she had managed to kill the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans.

The three witches could see Delphine playing tourist guide through the windows of the LaLaurie mansion from across the street. They waited quietly for the grumbling and clearly dissatisfied tourists to leave before crossing the street and using transmutation to enter the parlor room while Delphine shut the front door behind them. "Thank you for coming!" they heard Delphine call after the tourists before retreating back inside with a sigh.

"Psst!" Queenie hissed at her when she almost passed them by.

Delphine looked at them, startled to see Queenie relaxing on the chaise lounge, while Melanie leaned against its side with her arms crossed, and Zoe sat in a chair beside them. "Queenie," Delphine said, focusing on the black witch as she entered the room. "How did you find me?"

"Wasn't hard. You're a cliché, Delphine. A dog returns to its vomit," Queenie replied coldly. "I see you finally got that makeover. "Guess you figured you could makeover a little history, too."

"On the contrary. I'm here to set the record straight," Delphine said. Queenie laughed in disbelief. "This historical sight was nothing but a house of lies before I came back," the immortal racist said, going on to tell them about how she had learned what they were saying about her by taking the tour of her own house. All of her old sins had been laid bare. Some of it was accurate, but she felt that much of it had been exaggerated. For one thing, it wasn't 150 slaves that died in her attic. It was 62. She had kept a ledger. Delphine stayed behind after the tour ended and lured the original tour guide into the attic with a false claim that she had misplaced her wallet. Once there, she hit the woman over the head with a hammer and locked her in one of the cages while she was unconscious. She even brought the girls up there to show them. The tour guide was still alive, but only just. Queenie sighed as she straightened up and Zoe said, "You have to let this woman go."

"What you gonna do?" Delphine asked fearlessly.

Queenie put her hands on her hips. "Offer you a second chance," she told her before turning to the others. "You two get her out of here." Melanie nodded in understanding and grabbed a set of keys from the wall to unlock the cage. Zoe was a bit more hesitant to leave, but they both knew Queenie could hold her own. The plan was to catch Delphine off guard.

"You don't mean it," Delphine said as they left the attic with the wounded and dehydrated tour guide propped up between them.

"You will never be able to pay for your crimes," Queenie said grimly, shaking her head. "But I'm willing to walk you into the local office of the Urban League. You can offer your services as a volunteer. You can help the descendants of the people you brutalized." Well, at least Queenie had tried to give her a chance. But Melanie and Zoe could tell what direction the conversation was headed in from the laugh that escaped Delphine's mouth as they shut the door behind them.

"Guess we'd better prepare the grave," Melanie said with a sigh after the deposited the unconscious tour guide in a chair downstairs. "Is that stolen car from the morgue still around?"

"Yeah. It's sitting a couple blocks away from the school, right where we left it. Why?" Zoe asked.

"I think we're gonna need it. You wait here, in case Queenie needs help. I'll be right back," Melanie said, leaving the house of horrors to fetch their getaway vehicle. She thought it would have been towed away by now. They really should have gotten rid of it sooner, but at least this meant they could use it to dump LaLaurie's body and then ditch the stolen vehicle in the swamp where no one would ever find it.

Soft jazz played in the background while Fiona sat in a chair, posing for her the artist that Myrtle had called in to paint her. She broke the pose to point at a large space among the portraits of previous Supremes on one of the white walls of the sitting room. "I want my portrait hung just there."

"Yes, I knew you'd occupy a prominent place on the wall," Myrtle said, carrying a vase of pink peonies. "And I didn't want some garish paint-by-numbers by a local. That's why I flew Claude in from London." She exchanged a brief glance with the artist. "He's done everyone. Margaret Thatcher. Sting." She walked around to set the vase down on the table behind Fiona.

"What are you doing back there?" Fiona asked.

"You have to balance the frame," Myrtle replied. "The negative space makes you look more drawn. Claude trusts my taste."

"Well, I don't," Fiona said cynically as she watched the eccentric witch walk over to artist's side to admire his progress on the painting. Fiona reached up and touched her face when she felt something wet near her nose. It was blood. She quickly retrieved a handkerchief from her purse to clean it up.

"Do you need a break?" Claude asked, noticing her distress while she tried to stop the nosebleed.

"No, I'll be fine," Fiona insisted. "Just a minute." She caught her reflection in the mirrored surface of a lamp as she finished wiping her nose. _Oh, God. This is the face they'll be stuck with. I probably have two weeks left on Earth. So what the hell am I still doing here?_ She asked herself.

"Thank you, Kyle," Cordelia said when he set the tray of tea and finger sandwiches that Myrtle had asked him to bring to her on her desk. She had been trying to use a brail version of a pendulum chart to locate Misty since her Sight had not returned, but it was slow going. "Yes?" she asked when she felt him hesitate to leave.

Kyle bit his lip nervously. He wasn't sure he should say anything, but Melanie had told him that they could trust Cordelia, and his curiosity got the better of him. "What are the 'Seven Wonders'? Are they dangerous?"

Cordelia stopped what she was doing and lifted her head in his direction. "Where did you hear about that?"

"Well, Melanie mumbled something about it in her sleep… and it seemed like she was having a nightmare," Kyle explained, frowning with concern. "And then Queenie told her and Zoe that Fiona wanted her to do them, so I…"

Cordelia stood up abruptly and slammed her hands on the table. "When?" she demanded urgently. Kyle hesitated, wondering if he had made a mistake in telling her when he saw how upset she was. He had just wanted to know if Melanie was in danger. "Kyle!"

"Saturday," he finally answered, quickly moving out of the way when she grabbed her cane and moved to push past him.

"Goddamit, Mother," Cordelia fumed angrily as she opened the door to Fiona's room and stalked in to confront her. She knew she was in there, because she could hear her humming something when she entered. "What's this I hear about Queenie performing the Seven Wonders on Saturday?"

Her mother sighed. "Cordelia, please." It sounded like she was near the bed. "Maybe we could be kind to one another for a change, huh?" Her mother gasped quietly. "Oh. My God, look at you. My beautiful little girl."

Cordelia laughed in disbelief. "Oh." So now she was her little girl again, huh? The last time they spoke, her mother had been ready to disown her.

"Did you really think self-mutilation would restore your power?" Fiona asked.

"Right up until I tried it," Cordelia replied honestly. What a fool she had been.

"You cannot lose your power. You never will," Fiona told her. "It's inside of you. And it is not something I gave you. As much as I'd like to, I cannot take credit for that. It's all you."

Cordelia shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You are just full of surprises, Fiona Goode, you know that?"

Fiona chuckled. "Well, I have one more. It's from the vault."

Cordelia's cane tapped against the floor as she moved closer. "What is it?"

"It was my mother's," Fiona said. "Her most precious heirloom." Her mother laughed, and Cordelia thought she could hear the sound of a jewelry chain against metal as she played with it in her hands.

"Grandmother's necklace?" Cordelia asked.

"You remember?" Fiona asked, her voice choked with emotion.

Cordelia nodded and smiled. "Yes. Of course I do." She had been very fond of her grandmother, and she remembered the glittering necklace of black and white diamonds very well.

"When I was a little girl, I used to gaze up at her wearing this necklace. Thinking to myself I will never grow to be so transcendent," Fiona reminisced.

"Oh, I know the feeling well," Cordelia said. It felt strange and oddly comforting to hear her mother confess to having once held similar insecurities to her own.

"Here, take it," Fiona said, sniffing, as she placed the treasured necklace in her hand.

"You're saying goodbye?" Cordelia asked, pulling back in surprise at the tone of finality in her mother's voice.

"Yes, I am," Fiona said, still holding the necklace.

"Hmm," Cordelia said. She would be a fool to believe that after everything that had happened.

"And I mean it this time," Fiona insisted. "We both knew it was coming. Here." She stood up and stepped around to stand behind Cordelia. "Lift your hair. I want to put it on you." Cordelia lifted her hair to allow her mother to place the necklace around her neck and fasten the clasp. The minute her fingers brushed against her skin, Cordelia found herself wrapped up in a vision. But something was different this time. It was as if she was there, walking through the halls of the school. A distant scream echoed in her ears. Madison was lying at the top of the third floor with her head smashed through the stair railing's balusters. Blood gushed from her the gaping wound in her neck. Another echoing scream. Zoe's body was hanging from the wall several feet over, impaled through the heart by one of the broken balusters. Cordelia gasped and covered her mouth when she recognized the next voice to scream and saw Melanie's wide-eyed corpse hanging from the grand chandelier with a broken neck as she moved down the stairs. Continuing on, she found Misty dead on top of the piano. She couldn't see the wound, but there was blood dripping down her arms and hands onto the floor. Next came Queenie, who was lying on the floor of the sitting room with a baluster shoved down her throat and a pool of blood around her head. And then, in the foyer, Cordelia found herself staring down at her own corpse. Someone had shot her execution style, square in the forehead. A hand gloved in black leather reached out and ripped her grandmother's necklace away. Her mother's hand. All of it had been Fiona's doing. Cordelia understood that unlike her previous visions, where she had seen events that had already transpired, this vision was a warning of a dangerous and potentially fatal future.

"What's the matter?" Fiona asked.

Cordelia realized her distress must have shown on her face. "Nothing," she said, quickly calming herself as she took a seat on the bed. She couldn't afford to let her mother know that she was onto her. "I'm fine. I just… Wasn't there a ring… that Grandmother used to wear with this? I fee so selfish asking."

Her mother chuckled and sat down on the bed beside her. "Well… if not now, when, huh?"

"Right," Cordelia said. She was relieved that her mother didn't sound suspicious.

That first vision of her and the girls being murdered hadn't been her last. Cordelia used her power of telekinesis to unlock the door of a rundown apartment. It swung open before her with a loud _creak_. Despite knowing who it belonged to, she entered the unfamiliar room without hesitation. This was a conversation that needed to happen. "Just because you witches, uh, can open the locks with your hocus-pocus… it doesn't make it polite," the Axeman said from somewhere much further in the room. His footsteps were firm and even as he approached her. "A man shouldn't be disturbed when he's playing with his instrument." She resisted the impulse to pull away when she felt his fingers caress her jawline. "You don't have your mother's features."

"Oh, you know who I am?" Cordelia said coolly, turning her head in the direction of his voice.

"We spent quite an evening together," he said, reminding her of how he had held her hostage and terrorized her before her students gave him the release he demanded.

Cordelia squared her shoulders as he started to walk away. "It's not safe to love my mother, you know." She stepped further into the room to follow him. "I speak from experience. She can't love anyone but herself."

The Axeman moved closer to her. "I'm sure the transcendence of my relationship with your mother is hard for you to understand. But I'm happy that she told you about us."

"She didn't tell me anything," Cordelia said with a slight shake of her head. "I saw everything. Everything," she said, whispering the last word in his ear. "And she's gonna kill all of us and leave you behind, too." She reached out and touched him, searching for more details. She saw a drink being poured. A jazz record played. The back of her mother's black dress unzipped. The Axeman talked about sitting on a porch and drinking gin rickeys. And a single boarding pass in her mother's name. The same one she had taken the receipt for from her mother's room. "She's not going away with you. Whatever fantasy you have about who she is and what you are to her is all bullshit." Cordelia put the receipt on the table next to the chair that Axeman had sat down in so that he could see the evidence for himself. She saw a flash of her mother leaving with her passport and favorite fur coat. "She used you. All she does is use people."

"It's nothing," he said. She could hear the carefully controlled anger in his gravelly voice. "It's just a piece of paper. It's as… as light as air."

"That flight leaves in two days," Cordelia said. "You think she might have let you know that you were leaving town that soon. I don't suspect you have a passport ready. She's going to regain her power, and when she does, she's not going to waste her time on some halfway decent musician in a twelve-dollar suit." She took his silence as a sign that she was getting through to him and gripped her cane tightly as she squatted down to his level. "You feel that?" She could sense him staring at her with barely concealed pain. "That empty… heartbroken feeling? That's what it feels like to get close to Fiona," she whispered.

After leaving the Axeman alone to brood over her mother's betrayal, Cordelia returned to the school and began searching through Misty Day's things for something that could help her find the missing witch. "Come on, Misty, give me a hint." She held her hands over the items strewn about on the floor, hovering from one to the next, until she could hear Misty's voice faintly singing _Landslide_. She picked up the shawl and inhaled its scent, trying to deepen her connection to the item. She could see a vision of Misty trapped inside a coffin. "I see you. I see you. Where are you?" Cordelia whispered anxiously. She felt around until she found a feathered pin, picked it up, and stabbed the tip of her finger with it. She gasped softly at the pain as the vision strengthened, and she was shown the image of a rusty sign with doves and a cross that was bolted to the chain-link surrounding many graves, denoting it as section #1 of the Deville Cemetery. She saw the name on the small mausoleum that Misty had been confined in. It was the same cemetery where they had buried Nan. Cordelia gasped and dropped the pin.

It was dark by the time Melanie, Queenie, and Zoe returned to the school. They were tired and sweaty from dumping Delphine's heavy body and the stolen car, and they still smelled like swamp. "My goodness! You three have been gone all day! Where have you been?" Myrtle asked when she saw the state they were in when they collapsed upon the chairs and sofa in the sitting room.

"Taking out the trash," Queenie replied, fanning herself and gasping a little. Myrtle raised an eyebrow at the smart response but didn't press them. Melanie smiled when Kyle came to their rescue with a pitcher of iced tea. He was getting very good at his new job. Grateful for the sweet relief, the parched girls each downed their glasses of cold refreshments in record time.

"How's Cordelia?" Melanie asked while Kyle gave them all refills.

"Just fine, darling," Myrtle replied, lighting a cigarette. "She's been dashing about as well. Her Second Sight has returned, so right now she is searching Misty Day's belongings for something she can use to locate her."

"That's great!" Zoe said, glad they were finally making some progress on that front.

"Oh, speak of the devil," Myrtle said pleasantly when Cordelia came striding purposefully into the room. "Any luck?"

"Yes. I know exactly where she is," Cordelia answered before turning her head in the direction of the girls' voices. "Melanie, I want you to stay here with Myrtle and help her keep an eye on Madison. Don't let her leave the house. Queenie and Zoe, you're coming with me to save Misty." The tone in her voice left no room for argument.

"How the hell are we gonna get her out of there?" Queenie asked when they had found the mausoleum from Cordelia's vision while she and Zoe shined their flashlights on it.

"With a jackhammer, if we have to," Cordelia replied.

"I'm gonna go find a maintenance man," Zoe said, turning to leave.

Cordelia quickly tapped her leg with her cane to stop her. "No, no, just us."

"You mean just me and Zoe, and we don't have a jackhammer," Queenie said.

"Stop being so literal and remember who you are," Cordelia said firmly. "When the rest of the world sees a wall, we see a window. Zoe and Queenie exchanged a glance before turning their attention back to the bricked up mausoleum. They each held a hand out in front of them and closed their eyes, concentrating on their intention. Zoe wasn't sure she was actually doing anything, but Queenie felt a well of power rise up from within. Zoe opened her eyes when she heard a grinding sound, and saw the mortar crumbling. "That's it," Cordelia said when she sensed the magic and heard the bricks start to crack. Deep fissures formed and spread through the brick wall. Queenie clenched her fist and drew her hand back, crushing the wall and pulling the coffin out into the night.

"Nice," Zoe complimented her and took a step forward to lift the lid.

"Is she alive?" Cordelia asked while the younger witches peered into the coffin.

"It's hard to tell," Zoe said.

Queenie reached out to grab the unconscious witch's wrist and give her a shake. "Misty!" Nothing. "She's not breathing."

"Oh, God," Cordelia said worriedly.

"Okay, okay," Queenie said nervously, about to kneel down beside the coffin to try something, when Zoe beat her to it.

As soon as she was on Misty's level, Zoe reached out and carefully adjusted the angle of Misty's head. Then, she closed her eyes, and followed her instincts. _Vitalum Vitalis._ She let the power of life flow from her to Misty, balancing the scales between them. Then Zoe opened her eyes and leaned back. For a moment, she was afraid it might not have worked, but then Misty suddenly gasped for air and bolted up into a sitting position, coughing and cloying for breath to fill her reanimated lungs.

Myrtle, Melanie, and Kyle had taken up a position in the kitchen to keep an eye on the front and back doors in case Madison tried to leave. After being cooped up inside all day without any company, they wouldn't be at all surprised if she tried to sneak out for another party. Kyle's attention kept being drawn to the colorful flower arrangement that the two women were working on. They wanted to look busy so Madison wouldn't know that she was under watch. Melanie was glad, if not a little surprised, that Madison hadn't tried to mess with Kyle while she was out with the others. She supposed she had Myrtle to thank for that. Melanie gave her guardian a small but grateful smile and handed her another flower once she had finished trimming the stem.

As if summoned by the mere thought of her, Madison strolled into the kitchen, casting a sideways glance at Melanie as she approached the kitchen isle to examine their work.

"That's deadly nightshade you're about to ingest though your nostrils," Myrtle cautioned her. "I wouldn't sniff around unless you're looking for a bout of delirium."

"Sounds like every Saturday night since I was fifteen," Madison said, unimpressed. She sighed and looked around at the mostly empty kitchen in annoyance. "Where is everybody?"

"Our beloved Cordelia has regained her second sight. She's off with Queenie and Zoe to try and rescue Misty Day," Myrtle replied. She and Melanie did not miss the way Madison's back stiffened and her eyes widened ever so slightly. Even though she had managed to keep the rest of her expression calm, the actress was doing a rather poor job of hiding her guilt. "Apparently, the poor girl has been entombed," Myrtle added, sharing a brief side-glance with Melanie. "Who would be cruel enough to commit such an atrocity?"

"I have no idea," Madison said evenly, blinking, as she forced a smile on her face. "I just hope they get to her in time. I heard people die after three days without water. So, what's up with you?" she asked Melanie in an attempt to change the subject. She wrinkled her nose to show disgust. "You smell gross. Like sweat and swamp." Melanie was spared from having to dignify that with an answer when they heard the sound of the front door slamming, and Misty came storming into the kitchen with Queenie, Zoe, and Cordelia in her wake.

"You bitch," Misty said in a deadly calm tone of voice that belied her anger, bitch-slapping Madison hard across the face without an ounce of hesitation. Kyle stood up in surprise and moved closer to Melanie.

"Oh!" Madison cried as she stumbled, quickly bringing up a hand to hold her stinging face.

"You thought I was some dumb swamp rat you could leave behind to die?" Misty asked angrily.

"Um, yes," Madison replied sassily with a laugh, taking a step forward to show she wasn't intimidated. Big mistake. Misty grabbed her with one hand and slugged her right in the kisser with the other.

"Oh!" Madison cried again in pain, looking back at Misty with wide eyes. Melanie crossed her arms and observed the scene with a cool expression on her face.

"Girls, stop these vulgar fisticuffs at once," Myrtle said, lighting up a yellow cigarette to match her dress. "It's beneath us." Madison gave Misty a shove in response and glared at the hippie witch as she moved past her in an attempt to walk away.

"Cordelia?" Myrtle asked when Misty moved to follow her.

"I'm good," Cordelia said. After all the crap Madison had pulled, Misty was entitled to a little payback.

"I don't want to waste my magic on you," Misty told Madison. "I can do you with my hands."

Madison let out a scream as Misty gave her a hard shove and pushed her up against the wall with her hands around her neck. "You hit like a girl!" Misty slapped her and grabbed the spoiled bitch by the sides of her head to spin her around and fling her into the next room. Madison hit the floor with a harsh _thud_ and groaned loudly in pain as she rolled to a stop.

"This is awesome!" Queenie said, holding Cordelia's hand while she and Melanie led her into the next room to follow the drama, followed directly Kyle, who reached out to hold Melanie's hand in a protective grip.

"No, it's not. Stop!" Zoe said sternly, hot on their tail. She was obviously getting real tired of all this bullshit fighting between each other. Personally, Melanie felt inclined to agree with Queenie on this one.

"Come on. Get up, Hollywood," Misty said, looming over Madison, who immediately got back up to take a swing at her. Misty dodged the attack easily and hit her back with a straight jab to the jaw. But Madison stayed up, and she lunged at Misty with an angry yell, slamming her back against the wall. Misty grunted in pain and beat her fist against Madison's back a few times before gripping her shoulders and throwing her across the room. Madison shrieked when she slammed sideways into a support column. This seemed to finally drive home to Madison how much danger she was in, because she looked up at Misty with wide eyes and quickly started crawling away towards the hall. But Misty wasn't about to let her get away so easily.

"Ow!" Madison screamed when she kicked her in the gut. Kyle's grip tightened on Melanie's hand and he grit his teeth together so tightly they felt like they might crack. The fight was making his blood boil in a dangerous way. He knew he had to stop it before he lost control.

"Enough!" Kyle roared, separating the screaming girls.

"You!" A deep, gravely voice yelled furiously, startling them all, as they looked up to see an older man with gray hair stalking towards them with a bloody axe in his hands and blood splattered on his enraged face. "You must pay for what you've done!" he shouted, swinging his axe over his head.

"Wow, did you walk into the wrong house," Madison said, echoing everyone's thoughts, as every witch in the hall raised her hand and sent him flying several feet back through the air, where he crashed into the stairs, just as Myrtle peeked her head through the doorway to see what was going on.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Queenie asked.

"I know that voice," Cordelia said. "It's the Axeman." Zoe glanced at Melanie in confusion.

"I thought you banished his soul to the appropriate nether realms?" Myrtle said.

"No, he's on the mortal coil," Melanie said. "Banishing spells aren't always reliable, so I decided to make him more vulnerable instead." A physical body was much more susceptible to magic and other attacks than a ghostly one. He was nothing to them now.

"I'll kill all of you!" the Axeman roared furiously.

"Is that blood?" Myrtle asked, eying the crimson droplets scattered on the floor and his face.

"Not his," Misty said.

"Then whose?" Myrtle asked. Cordelia stepped forward and kneeled down to touch the blood on the floor. She gasped and fell into a sitting position when she was suddenly affronted with the image of her mother's betrayed and blood-smeared face asking, "How could you do this to me?"

"This blood is my mother's," Cordelia said. Melanie wanted to go to her side to comfort her, but knew she had to wait when Cordelia stood up and walked over to place her hands on the Axeman, or it would interfere with the vision. Instead, she kept a short distance between them, ready to spring to her aid if he tried to attack again.

Bearing whatever she felt and containing it deep within, Cordelia moved her hands to his face and pressed deeper, searching for more details. She related everything she saw to them from start to finish. Fiona had walked into the Axeman's silent and somber apartment after Cordelia had left him to brood over the possibility of the Supreme's inevitable betrayal of everyone close to her. Fiona had come for another romantic fling, but he put it off to confront her about her daughter's visit. When Fiona walked away, he looked in her purse and found the boarding pass that Cordelia had already shown him the receipt for tucked inside. It was then that he knew Cordelia had been right, and Fiona knew there was no point in lying to him anymore. She took the pass back and put it in her purse again. "Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag, huh?" Fiona said. "I mean, I was gonna tell you. You have been the most delightful distraction. A life preserver. But I'm gonna be on dry land soon." He asked her if she could at least pretend, to just humor him for a while. But that wasn't Fiona's style. "I guess I loved you," she said. "Although I really don't know anything about love, if I'm gonna be honest. But you were the sweetest of lovers." Fiona laughed. "The best I ever had. And I'll miss that. Let's be realistic. When the next Supreme is dead, I'll have 30 years of vitality until another one comes along. And the doors of every palace are gonna be open for me. I mean, hell, I know you've got all this to offer, but come on, you and I both knew that this was never…Ah!" Her mother cried out when the Axeman grabbed her. Hearing all of that was too much for him. He told her she loved him, that he knew she loved him. Fiona yelled at him to let her go, insisting she only used him because she was sick and needed to feel something. The Axeman tried to remind her of everything they had been to together. But she refused to listen. Fiona kicked him off of her and walked away. He told her that what she was doing was a crime against humanity. A betrayal of the true heart of love. "Well, I've never been one for love, true or otherwise," Fiona said mercilessly while she poured herself a shot of whisky. "I live in a floating world. Always two steps ahead of heartbreak." She laughed and began to tell him a story. "When I was eight years old, my mother brought me a little calico cat." No one would ever know how it ended. Those were her last words. Before Fiona could turn around to face him again, the Axeman buried his axe in her back. He swung his blade over and over again, until the witch finally stayed down on the floor to bleed out. Fiona Goode breathed her last breath.

"Holy shit," Madison said as Cordelia removed her hands from the Axeman and took a step back. "Does anyone feel any different?"

"Where's the body?" Myrtle asked, while Melanie walked over to Cordelia's side.

"In the swamps," Cordelia replied, taking Melanie's hands in her own while she leaned on the younger witch for support. Fiona may have been a homicidal bitch, but she was still her mother. "He fed her to the alligators."

"Jesus," Zoe said as they walked back over to the rest of them. She, Melanie, and Queenie, must have just missed him when they went to dump Delphine and the car. They could have run into him earlier if they weren't careful.

"Well, that's it, then. Even I can't bring somebody back once they're gator shit." Misty said.

"Okay. So who wants to do this?" Queenie asked, looking around at her fellow witches with her hands on her hips. "Somebody's got to kill this creep." Hearing that, the Axeman tried to retrieve his discarded axe, but Madison beat him to it.

"Oh, bloody-blood-blood all day in this place. Is that really necessary?" Myrtle asked.

"Yeah," Madison said. "He's a psycho mass murderer."

"Is there anyone here of whom that could not be said?" Myrtle asked, causing them all to glance at her. Melanie considered that she may have a point there, but at least most of them hadn't killed for fun. "This poor, troubled soul has saved this coven by doing away with Fiona. And as Cervantes once said, 'Where there is music, there can be no evil.'"

"Cervantes never met this asshole," Kyle said, stepping forward. This bastard's actions had hurt Cordelia, which in turn hurt Melanie. Kyle wasn't going to let him get away with that. He grabbed the Axeman by the collar and dragged him toward the kitchen. "I'm coven guard dog. I'll kill him." It was finally his turn to protect them.

"It was my idea to give him a physical form again. I'm responsible for everything he's done since," Melanie said, moving away from Cordelia to help Kyle as he pulled the struggling Axeman back onto his feet.

"No. I'll do it," Madison said, tightening her grip on the axe as she pushed past Melanie. She swung the axe and buried it into its original owner's side without hesitation. The Axeman grunted in pain and slipped on the blood that was gushing out of his open wound as he stumbled backwards into the kitchen. Melanie placed as hand on the stunned Kyle's shoulder as she stepped past him to follow after Madison and the Axeman. It might be better if he sat this one out. The girls had a lot of rage to work off.

"We really don't need a man to protect us," Misty added as she, Zoe and Queenie entered the kitchen next. Everyone who didn't already have a weapon held their hands out and used telekinesis to summon a knife into their hands. Queenie kicked the Axeman back onto the floor when he tried to get up to get away. Queenie, Misty, Zoe, and Melanie all stabbed him with their knives while Madison hit him with the axe again. The Axeman screamed and cried out in pain, as they continued to butcher him.

"Nobody messes with our coven!" Zoe shouted at him while he choked on his blood. The Axeman stared up at them in horror as it sank in that this was going to be his second time being murdered by a group of witches in this house. Myrtle comforted Cordelia in the next room while the Axeman joined his last victim in the afterlife.

Melanie stopped stabbing as soon as she noticed the lifeless look in the Axeman's eyes, but the other girls took a little longer to finish venting their anger. She glanced at the grieving Cordelia and shared a look of understanding with Myrtle before turning her attention back to Kyle. She felt the urge to hold his hand, but she didn't want to contaminate him with the blood that was on hers. "We need to start getting ready to dispose of the body. Can you help me?" she asked instead. Kyle nodded and followed her to the shed, where there were still a couple of drums of acid leftover from Myrtle's order. They could use them to dissolve the evidence. They were too heavy for Melanie, so Kyle loaded the drums into the wheelbarrow and pushed it to the greenhouse while she walked beside him.

"Are you scared of me now?" she asked, breaking the silence that had formed between them. Kyle hadn't looked at her once since she left the kitchen. But he did now.

Kyle stopped walking and raised his head to look at her in surprise. "No," he said quickly, shaking his head. "No. I'm not scared of you," he reassured her, letting go of the wheelbarrow to use his sleeve to gently wipe some of the blood splatter from her face. "I'm just disappointed. I thought… I thought I was finally getting the chance to protect you, but…"

"You are," she promised, holding his hand in hers. "Being 'guard dog' isn't just about the attack. The clean up is the most important part. If you don't cover your tracks well enough, you'll be sure to get caught. That isn't something everyone can pull off. As butler, it's part of your job to help us make the crime scene shine like new," she explained, biting her lip. "I wish it didn't mean making you an accessory to our crimes, though… Queenie told me what happened when she performed Descensum. Hell is real. It's probably too late for me, but I don't like the idea of you ending up there."

Kyle wrapped his arms around Melanie and held her close. "I'm already a killer, remember? I'll do whatever it takes to protect you. If you really think you're headed for hell, then we'll go together." Melanie buried her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him tight. For her, just being with him was enough. From now on, whatever happened, they would face it together.

After they finished cleaning up and disposing of all the evidence, and everyone had a chance to shower and change their clothes, they gathered in the sitting room to add Fiona's portrait to the gallery of previous Supremes and pay their respects. "How does she look?" Cordelia asked when Kyle finished hanging it up on the wall.

"Magnificent. I wish you could see it," Myrtle told her.

Cordelia placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can. I can see it through you. She was so beautiful."

"She was a great Supreme," Zoe said respectfully.

"A lot to live up to," Queenie agreed.

Madison sighed and examined her nails carelessly. "One of the best." Melanie elected to remain tactfully silent while she stood between Kyle and Cordelia, since she didn't agree with any of those statements.

"She was a force to be reckoned with, but she was a horrible Supreme," Cordelia said frankly. "She shirked all of her responsibility, including the most important: identifying her successor. So it will be up to us to find our new leader. And the only way is through the test of Seven Wonders. And since it could be any one of you, you will all be tested. The Seven Wonders. Sunday at dawn it begins. Everyone participates. And by next week, we will have a new Supreme." Kyle cast a nervous glance at Melanie out the corner of his eye, remembering how dangerous the test was supposed to be, and tightened his grip on her. He had a bad feeling about this.


	13. Chapter 13

**Previously:**

 _"She was a force to be reckoned with, but she was a horrible Supreme," Cordelia said frankly. "She shirked all of her responsibility, including the most important: identifying her successor. So it will be up to us to find our new leader. And the only way is through the test of Seven Wonders. And since it could be any one of you, you will all be tested. The Seven Wonders. Sunday at dawn it begins. Everyone participates. And by next week, we will have a new Supreme." Kyle cast a nervous glance at Melanie out the corner of his eye, remembering how dangerous the test was supposed to be, and tightened his grip on her. He had a bad feeling about this._

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Seven Wonders**

* * *

Stevie Nicks entered the witch's academy amidst the glow of the setting sun. She had caught wind that the girls would soon be tested on the Seven Wonders and had come to see how they were progressing in their preparations, singing the song she had written about the event long ago while she wandered the golden halls. "So long ago… Certain place, certain time," she sang, stepping into the main sitting room. "You touched my hand… On the way, on the way down to Emmiline…"

Misty twirled around the greenhouse with the shawl she had reclaimed from Madison that Stevie had gifted to her.

"But if our paths never cross…"

Misty raised her head to look up as Myrtle tossed a glittering substance into the air above them.

"Well, you know I'm sorry but…"

The scene shifted to focus on Zoe, who was studying from a series of magical tomes in the room she now shared with Melanie and Kyle. She closed her eyes and focused her powers of telekinesis to lift the bed she was sitting on up off the floor.

"If I live to see the Seven Wonders, I'll make a path to the rainbow's end… I'll never live to match the beauty again…" Stevie approached the staircase and held her arms aloft before them. "The rainbow's end."

The black cat Nox darted down the hallway, passing Madison's room.

"So it's hard to find…"

Inside, Madison was preparing to take a bath. She let her silk robe hit the floor as she approached the tub to turn off the running water.

"Someone with that kind of intensity…"

Madison slipped into the tub.

"You touched my hand… I played it cool, and you reached out your hand to me…"

Stevie continued to move through the house.

"But if our paths never cross… Well, you know I'm sorry but…"

In the privacy of her own bathroom, Madison smiled and leaned back, enjoying the warm water while she made the bath bubble with her telekinesis and used her pyrokinesis to light the candles surrounding the tub with a flick of her wrist. She closed her eyes and the fireplace behind her blazed to life, too.

"If I live to see the Seven Wonders, I'll make a path to the rainbow's end…"

Nox continued his journey and exited the house to join Melanie outside, where she was practicing transfiguration.

"I'll never live to match the beauty again…"

The young witch set aside the book she was reading when Kyle approached her, surprising her lover when she suddenly disappearing from his sight. His confusion gave way to a smile when she reappeared behind him to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"The rainbow's end."

Stevie danced around a white support column and came back to the stairs again. "So long ago…"

The door to the greenhouse creaked open as the focus returned to Misty, who had just finished cutting a bud off a lily plant.

"It's a certain time, certain place…"

Misty took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing her energy and intention on regenerating the lost part of the plant.

"You touched my hand, and you smile…"

Misty did smile when she opened her eyes and saw that she had succeeded.

"All the way back, you held out your hand… If I hope and if I pray…"

The scene shifted to show Queenie lying on her stomach in Nan's room while Nox darted back into the house downstairs.

"Ooh, well it might work out someday…"

Queenie lit a white candle and set it down in front of the impromptu altar that she had set up on the floor for Nan. Then she rolled some chicken bones to try to divine some form of communication with her spirit.

"If I live to see the Seven Wonders… I'll make a path to the rainbow's end," Stevie sang, finishing a small twirl as he girls descended the stairs after returning to their rooms to dress up in black for their evening dinner. "I'll never live to match the beauty again…" She smiled and wished the girls luck before turning to leave, satisfied now that she had seen them all together. "If I live to see the Seven Wonders," she sang, heading for the door, "I'll make a path to the rainbow's end. I'll never live to match the beauty… I'll never live to see that beauty… that beauty… that same, same beauty again…"

The girls quietly watched while the door shut itself behind the famous star. "Anyone else feel like we just walked into a music video?" Melanie asked after a moment of silence.

Melanie was wearing a vintage 90s black velvet turtleneck, buttoned-up black corduroy skirt, black tights, and black ankle boots when she and the rest of the girls entered the dinning room to find it illuminated only by candlelight. With the departure of Stevie, the mood had grown dark and somber. The death of the old Supreme and the dangers of the Seven Wonders loomed heavily over their heads. The place settings had been arranged so that they were all seated in a long line down the same side of the table. "The great Leonardo da Vinci, who I'm certain was a warlock, although it's never been proven, in his masterpiece _The Last Supper,_ depicted grilled eels, bread and wine on the table," Myrtle said while she put the finishing touches on the restrained, yet rich and elegant fair that she had prepared herself for them to partake of on their last night before their lives were changed forever. It was the least she could do with everything the young witches were about to endure. "I've chosen caviar from the Caspian Sea. Served on blinis. Along with champagne." She started handing the large, polished shells the meal had been placed on over to Madison and to be passed down to Misty and Zoe. "As fitting stand-ins as we partake of our own last supper. For one of you, a last moment of freedom and anonymity before assuming the Supremacy." She turned and began passing Queenie, Melanie and Cordelia their shells. Melanie made sure to carefully guide Cordelia's hand to her dish for her. "For any one of you others, possibly a last meal." Misty wasn't sure how she felt about that. Mainly apprehensive.

"Since the beginning of this coven, it has been every outgoing Supreme's duty to identify her successor," Cordelia said. "Which Fiona not only neglected to do, she actually tried to kill her successor." Madison readjusted the scarf around her neck that hid the scar that had been left when Fiona slit her throat. "So we are doing something never done in our history. We are going to give all five of you the chance to prove yourselves." Many of the girls shifted nervously in their seats, tense with a mix of excitement and anxiety over events to come, but they all remained silent while they continued to listen. "Only one of you will succeed. To quote the Bible… loosely… 'When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I understood like a child, I thought like a child. But when I became a woman, I put aside childish things.'" Cordelia stood with her glass of champagne in hand raised for a toast. "Childhood is over, my girls." The young witches followed her lead and raised their glasses, too. "Put aside fears, reservations and petty things. Kick ass tomorrow."

"What's wrong?" Melanie asked Kyle quietly later that night while they lay in bed together in the dark, keeping her voice low so they wouldn't wake Zoe. He was tense and having a hard time falling asleep. Kyle nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck and held her more securely in his arms.

"I don't like the idea of these tests…" He admitted slowly, worried she might not like what he was thinking. "What if something goes wrong? I don't want anything to happen to you."

Melanie frowned. She was concerned about that, too, but she didn't want to worry him. "I'm sure I'll be all right. Would it make you feel better if I did a reading?" She felt him nod his head against her neck. So Melanie reached out and felt around the nigh table for her tarot deck, and they left the warmth of their bed to creep carefully into the bathroom. Kyle shut the door behind them, and Melanie lit one of the scented candles in there so they could see. He watched while she shuffled the cards before setting the deck down. She took a breath and drew three cards from the top, focusing on her intention to predict the outcome of the Seven Wonders. Kyle watched as she laid them out for him to see. The Magician. Wheel of Fortune. Chariot. Melanie released the breath that she had been holding. They were all good cards. None of them possessed any inherently destructive meanings. "This is 'The Magician'," she explained. "In this position, the card is associated with power, skill, resourcefulness, and action. It typically appears in a tarot reading at a time in your life when you have the creative power and energy to create a new life cycle for yourself. This is a tarot card about manifesting your goals by utilizing the skills, tools and resources that are available to you. The Magician suggests that you will come up with creative ways to solve problems and you will be able to use your existing knowledge and networks to arrive at solutions. It's a good omen when you have a specific wish, when you begin a project involving creativity, or when you need to make a transformation of any kind." Kyle nodded in understanding, resting his chin on his hand while he continued to listen. So far, so good. "The next card, 'Wheel of Fortune', is associated with good luck, karma, life cycles, destiny, and turning points. The Wheel of Fortune refers to the fact that things tend to go in cycles. There are good times and there are bad times. The Wheel of Fortune refers to the fact that things tend to go in cycles. There are good times and there are bad times. Even if your external environment is difficult and challenging, there will come a time when this will ease off and you will be able to focus more on creating fun and frivolity. The lesson of the Wheel of Fortune is that you must accept that there are always ups and downs in life. It's about keeping optimistic and having faith in the Universe that it will take care of the situation in the best way possible. This card also speaks of a pivotal point in your life, where new options become possible. The appearance of the Wheel of Fortune shows that change is not only likely to happen, it is certain to happen, and soon." Melanie placed her hand over the last card. "This is the 'Chariot', associated with control, willpower, victory, assertion, and determination." Kyle looked up at her when he heard the word 'victory'. "The Chariot represents conquest, victory, and overcoming opposition through your confidence and control. Any success will be a result of applying these factors to the situation. You will need to use the strength of your willpower to overcome any obstacles or challenges in your way. You will be successful at pursuing your goals, so long as you maintain focus, determination, and confidence in your abilities. See? There's nothing to worry about." Melanie finished, giving him a reassuring smile.

Kyle smiled back a little sheepishly, but he was relieved that the reading hadn't shown any signs of danger. "Sorry, I know you're strong, it's just… I've heard how dangerous these tests can be, and I couldn't help but worry. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," he said, taking her hands in his with such a sad, heartbroken look in his eyes at the mere thought that it made Melanie's heart melt and ache for him.

"It's all right," she said gently, giving his hands a comforting squeeze and a soft kiss while she held them. She didn't want to lose him either. "You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Kyle smiled and pulled her in to share a deep kiss on the lips.

"So, 'victory', huh? Does that mean I just kissed the next Supreme?" he asked a little teasingly when they came up for air, flashing her a more confident and a rather pleased grin. He liked the way Melanie always looked a little flushed and the way her eyes seemed to glow after they kissed.

Melanie smiled and shook her head at him. "No, something tells me it isn't me. It's true my powers have been growing, but I get the feeling it's someone else…"

"Madison?"

"God, I hope not," Melanie said, making face that earned a small chuckle. Anyone but her would be a welcome change to Fiona.

"Let's go back to bed," Kyle, said, helping her back to her feet as he stood up, still holding her hands. "You need your rest so you can do your best tomorrow."

"Yeah," Melanie agreed with a small smile, suppressing a yawn. "You go ahead while I pick up my cards." She waited for him to leave before kneeling down to gather the deck, and paused with her hand on it. A very strong, nagging feeling came over her that something wasn't quite right. That it wasn't over yet. Melanie decided to draw three more cards. The Hanged Man. Death. Judgement. Melanie's brow furrowed with concern at this darker turn the reading took. She put all six cards back and headed to bed. With his fears relieved by the first reading, Kyle had gone out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow. She slipped into the warmth and safety of his arms and held him close while she closed her eyes and considered the meaning behind the second set of cards she had just drawn. The Hanged Man was associated with suspension, restriction, letting go, and sacrifice. The Hanged Man reflected a need to suspend action, and as a result, a period of indecision might be indicated. Decisions or actions that need to be implemented will be postponed, even if, at the time, there is a sense of urgency to act. Death. That card had been making far too many appearances lately. And each time, it had taken on a very literal meaning. She hoped this time would be the exception. Judgement was associated with judgment, rebirth, inner calling, and absolution. The Judgement card calls for a period of reflection and self-evaluation. Through meditation or quiet reflection, you may come to a point of deep understanding about the common themes throughout your life and what you can do or change to avoid these situations in the future. Judgement tells you that you are close to reaching a significant stage in your own journey. The Judgement card often indicates that life-changing decisions are required but unlike those associated with the logical Justice card, these decisions required a delicate blend of intuition and intellect. You may be at a crossroads, aware that any decision that you make will bring about significant change. If you have endured challenges in recent times, then the Judgement card suggests that you may have some respite from these challenges. Drawing Judgement seemed to indicate something good might follow after the events predicted by the first two cards, but she couldn't be sure. Eventually, Melanie drifted off to sleep despite her worries.

They gathered early the following morning in the dining room to begin. The girls had found Cordelia, Myrtle, and Kyle waiting for them with the dining table cleared of everything except for the line of candles on the side furthest away from them.

"The Seven Wonders," Myrtle said, signaling the start of the event once everyone was standing in place across from a candle. "Usually we move from easiest to hardest. But since we're breaking with tradition this year, let's begin with my personal favorite, Telekinesis." She motioned for Kyle to light the candles. He started with Madison's and worked his way down the line to Misty, then Melanie. Kyle was doing his best to stay professional, but he couldn't help sneaking a closer peak at her, looking up as he lit her candle. Melanie had dressed for her first day of battle in the same black dress with flared quarter-length sleeves and a lace-up V-neck that she had worn the day Fiona took them out for their first and only field trip with her, black leggings, and black ankle boots. Her silky pale hair was arranged in a side braid. He hoped her reading was right about her being safe. She gave him a small smile in an attempt to reassure him and hide her own feelings of anxiety.

"What if I can't do it?" Misty asked nervously, fidgeting with her shawl, while he continued on to light Queenie and Zoe's candles.

"Then you're not the Supreme," Cordelia replied calmly.

"And you can go back to your swamp," Madison added.

"Misty, you're first," Myrtle said, deciding to let the poor girl get it over with so she could stop being so nervous. Misty let go of the fringe on her shawl and looked at the candle in front of her.

"Intention," Cordelia reminded her softly, knowing that had been the area she needed most improvement in. Misty took a deep breath and leaned forward, placing her hands on the table, while she focused on the candle and directing her power to follow through on her intentions for it. They all watched her closely, waiting to see what would happen. After a brief moment, the candle slid smoothly across the table, and Misty smiled widely when she caught it in her hand.

"I did it. I did it," she gasped excitedly, thrilled with her success. She had never done Telekinesis before, and it was exhilarating to know that she had managed to master a new power.

"Almost sounds like you want it," Madison remarked coolly, crossing her arms, while Misty blew out her candle.

"It's not about want," Cordelia said strictly. "You either are or you aren't a Supreme."

"Maybe I am," Misty said a little proudly. She was starting to warm up to the idea.

"Queenie?" Myrtle said, prompting her to take her turn. Queenie held out her hand, and her candle slid straight into it with less hesitation than Misty's.

"Yup," Queenie said confidently and blew out her candle.

"Madison, obviously this is your bailiwick," Myrtle said.

"Whatever that means," Madison retorted smartly, though she didn't sound nearly as clever as she thought she did by revealing her inferior grasp of vocabulary. She turned back to her candle and pulled it straight into her hand without breaking a sweat. She blew it out and cast a superior look at the others.

"Your turn, Melanie," Myrtle said. Melanie focused on her candle, and Misty's eyes widened slightly in surprise when it glided across the table so smoothly and swiftly that it had practically flown into her hand. Cordelia suppressed a smile as Melanie blew out her candle. Madison narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms with a sour expression on her face.

"Last but not least, Zoe," Myrtle said. Zoe looked at her candle and smiled when it slid into her hand just as smoothly as Melanie's had. Madison put her hands on her hips, looking extremely annoyed, while she blew it out. Myrtle was pleased. It seemed there was more than one witch present able to give the Hollywood terror a run for her money.

"Concilium," Myrtle continued, once they had moved on to the sitting room from her seat beside Cordelia on the sofa. Melanie wasn't really sure why they had Kyle standing behind them with a tray full of wine glasses, but he was. She thought it was a little funny how he kept twitching his nose in an attempt to scratch an itch without putting down the tray. "Commonly only known to the public as 'mind control'. It's a tricky little craft. When properly exercised, can bend the strongest of wills to you desire. Now, let's see which of you fillies has really got the stuff," she said, lighting up a fashionably red cigarette. First up were Misty and Queenie.

"Stare all you want, flower child," Queenie told Misty confidently, standing akimbo with her arms crossed over her chest. Misty was already breathing harder from the effort. "Nobody controls my mind but me." Misty's gazed hardened. Suddenly Queenie's arms swung apart, and she slapped herself upside the head with a loud _smack._ "Oh, shit," Queenie said, stunned. Misty made her slap herself again. "Knock it off!" Queened shouted angrily. Misty smiled.

"This is fun," she said. Queenie yelped as she added another stinging slap.

Myrtle exhaled the smoke from her lungs. "Next."

The two girls switched places, and Queenie glared darkly across the room at Misty with her hands on her hips. It made Misty nervous, and she began to realize her mistake.

"No hard feelings about…" Misty started, when her hand shot up and grabbed her hair, pulling hard. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Misty cried out in pain. It felt like her hair was being yanked out by the roots. Queenie smirked. Payback was a bitch.

"Next," Myrtle said.

Now Zoe and Melanie stood facing each other. Zoe was up first. She focused on her opponent while Melanie stared passively back at her. Then Zoe had her raise both of her arms in the air and spring into a jumping jack.

"Next," said Myrtle.

Melanie switched places with Zoe. She concentrated on what she wanted her friend to do. It took a moment, but there was a bemused expression on Zoe's face when her limbs started moving of their own accord to do the 'YMCA' dance. Kyle bit his lip as he looked down at th e wine glasses and smiled.

"Next," Myrtle said, suppressing her own amusement.

It was Madison's turn. She smirked when she saw who her target was. She would be facing Melanie. Kyle's brow furrowed with worry. He and Myrtle both had their concerns about this matchup, but Cordelia seemed to think that Melanie could handle it. They watched while the two young witches stared each other down. Melanie could feel Madison pressing even harder on her than Zoe had, but she refused to back down. If she could stop Madison here, then she would be out of the running for Supreme. Melanie blinked in confusion when the pressure seemed to lift. Then Kyle's hands started to tremble. He looked down at them in confusion as his grip was forced to loosen on the tray, and it crashed to the floor, shattering the wine glasses. The dark crimson liquid splashed all over the floor and his shoes as his legs started to shake too.

"He's not part of this!" Melanie snapped angrily at Madison.

"He is now," Madison said, smirking as she made Melanie slap herself the second her guard was down. She quickly put it up again.

"Well done," Myrtle told her with a distinct lack of enthusiasm while poor Kyle walked over to Madison's side, despite his best efforts to fight it every step of the way.

"I'm not done," Madison said, forcing Kyle to lean down and kiss her the moment he was within range. She made sure to make direct eye contact with Melanie while she continued the kiss. Melanie glared at her, clenching her fists at her side. She hated it, but she didn't want to use her powers on Kyle, too, or it might hurt him. Any normal human's brain would explode from the pressure. "Now lick it," Madison ordered him, gazing coolly at Melanie with a superior expression on her face as she forced Kyle to drop to his knees and stick out his tongue. Melanie's eyes widened when Kyle's head started moving towards her shoe, even though he was trembling from the immense effort of trying to resist. Melanie narrowed her eyes focused everything she had on Madison. The bitch's eyes widened in shock when she was made to take a step back and slap herself before his tongue could touch her boot. Kyle had been straining so hard to keep his head up that he popped back up and onto his feet like a piece of popcorn.

"Come over here," Melanie told him, keeping Madison busy with a loop of repeated slaps while he made a hasty retreat to her side of the room. Kyle had a very anxious and panicked look on his face as he approached her, and Melanie thought it was because he thought she was mad at him for the kiss until he reached out and placed one hand on the side of her face while he used the other to wipe something from under her nose with his thumb. She was surprised to see that it was blood. Exerting the huge amount of power she had needed to force Madison into submission had burst a blood vessel in her nose. Furious at the humiliation she had suffered at Melanie's hands, Madison quickly took advantage of the moment and seized control of Kyle again while they were distracted. Kyle's breath caught in his throat, and he swore his heart nearly stopped beating when his hands suddenly moved from Melanie's face to her neck and squeezed. No, no, no! He didn't want to do this! Once again, he fought with all his might to regain control, but he couldn't. He silently begged Melanie to use her powers to stop him from choking her, but it was no use. She couldn't get her oxygen-deprived brain to focus long enough to do anything. Myrtle tensed, about to interrupt the battle of wills, when Cordelia beat her to it. The instant she heard Melanie gag and realized what was going on, Cordelia waved her hand and sent Kyle flying across the room away before he could finish choking the life out of her. Madison shifted slightly when she realized her connection with him had been severed. Kyle grunted as he scrambled back onto to his feet and hurried over to Melanie's side while she gasped for air, taking deep breaths to fill her lungs with oxygen again.

"That's enough," Cordelia said firmly.

"Having fun yet?" Madison sneered at Melanie as she stood up again. Melanie shot her a cold and steely glare in response. Myrtle took a deep drag on her cigarette and exhaled, relieved it had ended without anyone getting permanently damaged. With that trial completed, the girls were given a chance to rest and recharge before they reconvened at the appropriate time for beginning Descensum.

Once everyone regrouped, they moved the furniture aside to make a space large enough for all five girls to lie down on the floor together. "The descent into the nether world will be your next test," Myrtle announced once they were ready. "Getting to hell will be simple for girls of your talents. It's the getting back, darlings, that is the challenge." Venturing into the nether realms was said to be very disorienting. "If your soul hasn't returned to your body by sunup, you will die."

Misty turned her head toward Zoe. "What do you think it'll be like?" she asked quietly.

"I was hoping to never find out," Zoe replied. Melanie seconded that emotion. Myrtle turned over the large hourglass that they had brought out and set it down on the coffee table.

"Girls," she said, "you may begin."

They all closed their eyes and took a long, deep breath—gathering and focusing their spiritual energy while they chanted the spell in unison. "Spiritu duce, in me est. Deduc me in tenebris vita ad extremum, ut salutaret 'nferi. Descensum!"

When Queenie opened her eyes again, she found herself back at the chicken shack. She dropped the tongs in her hand and approached the front counter to look out at the never-ending line of people waiting to be served. She rolled her eyes and focused on returning to her body. She wasn't staying there a second longer than she had to.

From the point of view of those still conscious, an hour or so had passed while they waited for the girls to revive themselves. Myrtle and Kyle watched quietly while Cordelia paced the room nervously. Myrtle thought the boy's devotion was admirable. He never once complained about the wait and always made certain to keep Melanie's vulnerable body in his line of sight even while mixing her a cocktail. They all looked up when Queenie gasped and bolted upright into a sitting position. "You're the first to return," she informed Queenie, helping her up.

"Damn," Queenie said, staggering over to a nearby chair. "I saw the same people in the same line for the same chicken."

Madison returned next. She sat up, gasping for breath. "It was horrible," she exclaimed, placing a hand over her chest. "I was stuck on a network musical. It was a live version of _The Sound of Music._ I wasn't even the lead. I was Liesl." Queenie rolled her eyes at the self-centered drama queen's idea of hell.

Zoe suddenly bolted upright in a desperate gasp for air with a panicked and hurt look in her eyes.

"What happened to you?" Queenie asked.

"It was the moment I discovered I was witch. I had to keep watching Charlie die again. On a loop. He said it was my fault. That I should have known I was cursed. He said he wished he'd never fallen in love with me."

 _Damn,_ Queenie thought. That was rough. She placed a hand on Zoe's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Kyle glanced at Melanie, hoping she would wake up soon. She and Misty were the only ones who hadn't returned yet. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Melanie arose, gasping wildly for air. His relief soon turned to panic when he saw how distraught she was. Melanie placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart, on the verge of hyperventilating from all the fear, heartache, and emotional pain she had just been forced to experience.

"Melanie? Are you okay?" Zoe asked concerned. Queenie was almost afraid to find out. Anything that could scare Melanie had to be 'Cthulhu destroyer of worlds' level kind of messed up.

"Kyle kept breaking up with me," Melanie sobbed, struggling to keep her voice from breaking as her eyes misted over with tears. "He said he didn't love me, over and over, and over and over…"

Kyle was horrified. "It's okay, it's okay," he said, quickly moving to kneel by her side to comfort her. "I'm right here." He kissed her head and pulled her closer while she cried and clung to him, touching him and breathing in his scent to reassure herself that it was real. "I'm right here, it's okay," Kyle whispered in her ear, holding her lovingly and protectively in his arms. Cordelia and Myrtle felt a pang in their chests at the heart wrenching cries she heard coming from, but they knew Kyle was the one she needed right now.

After she had taken a minute or two to calm down, Melanie looked up while still holding onto Kyle and asked, "Are we all back?"

"Everyone but Misty," Madison replied. They stared at the unconscious girl, wondering what kind of hell she must be going through.

Hours passed while they sat up waiting for her through the night until sunlight was peeking through the windows. There were only minutes left in the hourglass now. "She's stuck," Cordelia said, kneeling beside Misty. "We have to help her." Kyle watched her cradle the unconscious witch distractedly while he served Myrtle the new drink he had just mixed for her.

Melanie hugged her knees tighter. "How?" If they didn't act soon, Misty would die.

"There's nothing we can do," Myrtle said, taking the drink. "She has to get back on her own."

"Follow my voice," Cordelia told Misty desperately, unwilling to give up. She didn't know if she could hear her, but she had to try something. Cordelia couldn't stand the thought of losing another witch. "We are all here for you," she sobbed softly. "Sequere… lucen. Venite ad me." There was no response. Melanie buried her head in arms. Myrtle looked to the hourglass. The last grains of sand fell.

"Here time is up," she announced with a calm that belied her own deep regret and grief for the girl. Melanie looked up when she heard Cordelia gasp and watched with a heavy heart as Misty's body turned to ash and crumbled away to nothing in her hands. Death. The reading was coming true. Her body trembled slightly with the foreboding feeling snaking its way up her spine.

"No, No!" Cordelia cried, trembling with grief and frustration for failing to save her. "No, no!" Kyle glanced at Melanie with concern, but she was already standing up and moving to Cordelia's side to comfort her, holding her close and gently stroking her hair while she sobbed and gasped for breath. "No, no…"

Once Cordelia had regained a small measure of calm, Myrtle announced that they would be taking a break to give them all time to refresh themselves and have a moment of rest after Misty's tragic passing. Kyle was retained by Myrtle to put the room back in order. Melanie cried silently in the shower while washed. She hadn't known Misty long, but she had already done so much for them. She didn't know what would have happened to Kyle if she hadn't been there to help them and offer him protection. She didn't want to even think about it. She couldn't imagine being without him now. Melanie felt that it was because of Misty's kindness that they had been able to be together, and that was a debt she would never be able to repay. She would remember Misty forever.

When she returned to the sitting room in a fluffy black sweater, black skinny jeans, and her hair pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck under black newspaper boy cap, Melanie could see that Kyle had been affected similarly by Misty's death. He reached out to hold her hands, and she sat with him on the sofa, where they were joined by Zoe. Then came Queenie. Then Madison. It was quiet. No one said a word.

"Before we recommence," Cordelia said, breaking the heavy silence, as she walked in to rejoin them with Myrtle, holding the older witch's hand, "I would like to take a moment to remember our fallen sister witch, Misty Day.

"Can we get on with it?" Madison asked boredly. "I didn't really know her that well."

"You're a stone cold bitch," Queenie told her.

"When you play with fire, you get burned," Madison said shamelessly.

"She's right. Misty's gone," Zoe said. "There's nothing we can do about it." Kyle squeezed Melanie's hand. As far as he knew, this hadn't been in the cards. He was becoming anxious for her and the others again; worried that Misty wouldn't be the last to fall. Melanie rubbed comforting circles on the back of his hand with her thumb in an attempt to sooth him.

"All right, then. Let's get on with finding the new Supreme," Queenie said.

"The next task before our candidates is Transmutation," Myrtle announced. In the blink of an eye Zoe was gone from Melanie's side and standing right behind Madison's chair.

"Tag, you're it," Zoe told her, and quickly disappeared again. Madison glanced at the others, a little surprised. Melanie gave Kyle's hand a small squeeze and quickly disappeared. Kyle flinched, startled the sudden change. While Queenie was distracted by his reaction, Madison decided to pop over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Now you're it," she said before disappearing. Queenie stood up and scanned all the areas of the house that she could see from her position. Zoe reappeared in the dinning room with a confident smile on her face.

"Gotcha," Queenie said, grinning when Zoe gave a small shriek of surprise when she appeared instantly at her side to tag her. Kyle turned his head to look and smiled slightly at the priceless expression on Zoe's face. "No tag-backs." Madison appeared near them and made herself scarce the instant Zoe and Queenie looked at her. Melanie reappeared in the sitting room and sent her friends a playful 'come and get me look', disappearing the instant Zoe took the bait. Zoe scoffed at herself for falling for it and rushed away to follow them outside, with Queenie on her heels.

"Tag," Zoe said with a grin, tapping Madison on the shoulder when she caught her standing in front of the house. Madison started jogging a little and transmuted over to Melanie when she spotted her spying on them from behind a tree.

"Tag, you're it!" Madison declared happily when she was able to get her before she could run again. Melanie started glancing around for a target and smiled when she sensed one. Kyle opened the door for Cordelia and Myrtle so they could step out onto the porch to watch the continuation of the trial. He smiled when he looked around and saw what Melanie was up to. It was good to see a smile on her face. Melanie would never forget Misty, but for the moment, she was allowing herself to focus on having some much-needed fun after everything they had been through.

Tag," Melanie told Queenie with a smirk when she popped up behind her on near the side of the house and tapped her on the shoulder, and Queenie yelped in surprise. Madison laughed from her spot by the tree and had to move quickly when Queenie spotted her.

"Careful, girls!" Cordelia called out to them. "It's not a game!"

"It's the best game, and we need a goddamn break!" Madison shouted back when she reappeared, before dashing off again. Zoe screamed when Queenie got her from behind again. Queenie laughed, and Zoe started running towards Melanie and Madison the moment they appeared. Melanie quickly dodged Zoe's reaching hand, but Madison wasn't so lucky.

"Careful, girls…" Cordelia called again as Melanie and Zoe ran away together.

"Can't we just have a little fun?" Zoe asked while Melanie laughed.

"You bitch," they heard Madison say while Queenie laughed as they ran around the corner to the front of the house. Melanie smiled and stumbled a little, but Zoe steadied her before she fell. Melanie's eyes widened in shock when she felt another strong wave of foreboding wash over her. Her eyes flashed between Zoe and the iron gate. She didn't have the Sight like Cordelia, but in that instant, she knew. She just knew that another friend was about to die.

"Suck it!" Queenie told Madison.

"Zoe, no!" Melanie cried in alarm when she let go of her hand to transmute again. There was no time to think, only act. Kyle turned his attention away from Queenie and Madison's antics to look at Melanie when he heard her shout and caught a last, fleeting glimpse of her blurring image as she disappeared.

"Ow!" Zoe grunted in pain when she hit the sidewalk just outside the school, landing on her arm with a nasty crack. She didn't know how, but someone had managed to push her while she was transmuting. Then Melanie's cap landed on the ground in front of her. Zoe furrowed her brow a little in confusion and annoyance as she looked around for it's owner. "Hey, Melanie, what…" And then she saw it, the horrified look on Kyle's face while he stood on the porch, staring up at something above her. Zoe looked up. Her eyes widened in shock. Hanging over her, impaled through her stomach on the iron spokes at the top of the gate, Melanie was gagging and gasping for air. A drop of her blood landed on Zoe's face, and she screamed. Jolted out of his shock, Kyle cried out in alarm and leaped from the porch.

"Melanie!" He screamed, sprinting for the gate like a madman.

"Oh! Oh! Dear God," Myrtle cried, gasping for panicked breaths.

"What is it?" Cordelia asked anxiously.

"It's our dear Melanie!" Myrtle sobbed, too shocked to move. Cordelia gasped, imagining the worse from the way the older witch's voice shook.

"Help! Help!" Kyle yelled frantically, struggling in his futile attempts to reach the dying girl. "Melanie!"

She was already gone by the time they got her down. Kyle almost fell apart right then and there, but Cordelia stopped him. "Take her to the greenhouse, Kyle," she ordered him with a trembling voice, clinging to Myrtle for physical and emotional support while she tried to ignore her own heartache. "There might still be a chance we can save her." So Kyle did as she asked. He carried Melanie's body with tears streaming down his face while they all walked over to the greenhouse and carefully laid her out on the table as gently as he could. "Vitalum Vitalis," Cordelia said firmly, signaling the start of the next test. Zoe immediately wiped her own tears and stepped forward. Kyle watched with desperate hope in his eyes while she leaned down and held her lips close to Melanie's. Zoe focused her power and tried to breathe life back into, just as she had done for Misty at the cemetery. She waited for Melanie to start showing signs of life. Something. Anything. Kyle leaned down to examine Melanie, too.

"Nothing's happening," he said. Madison could barely suppress her smile.

"No, no," Zoe said, trying again. Nothing. She shook her head in disbelief while Myrtle guided her away to make room for the next challenger. Why? It had worked before. Why couldn't she bring Melanie back? "I don't understand... No!" she cried, distraught over her failure to save her friend. Queenie stepped forward next and leaned over to blow breath into Melanie's lungs. There was no reaction. "Please," she prayed and tried again, willing the magic to work. It was useless.

"Guess who isn't Supreme after all," Madison remarked sassily. Zoe looked up to glare daggers at her, while Queenie straightened up with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. The look in Kyle's eyes was absolutely heartbreaking.

"Queenie, Zoe. Take Kyle into the house," Cordelia ordered, sensing that he was about to come undone. She was on the verge of losing it herself. Zoe sniffed and pulled herself together enough to help Queenie guide the devastated boy away. Without Misty, the only way for them to save Melanie was if Madison really was the Supreme. "Madison, the Vitalum Vitalis," Cordelia said.

"You want me to bring her back?" Madison asked, sounding completely unconcerned.

"Do you think you can?" Cordelia asked sternly, struggling to remain in control of herself.

"Oh, I know I can," Madison replied cockily.

"Then do it," Cordelia ordered.

"Would that make me Supreme?" Madison asked. Myrtle glanced between the two of them. She would give almost anything, maybe even allowing Madison to take the crown, to bring their dear Melanie back.

"It would mean we could continue with the Seven Wonders," Cordelia replied tightly.

"Because she'd be back in the game," Madison said, disappointed.

"Just like you were back in the game after you were brought back," Cordelia reminded her, starting to get angry. "Unless you're afraid you might not really be the Supreme." Myrtle glanced back at Madison. That ought to be enough to goad her into it. Instead, Madison clapped her hands and crushed a fly that was buzzing around. She opened her hands to show them the dead insect and then closed them again. She closed her eyes and focused her intention. She opened her eyes again and released the fly, which buzzed off in perfect health. Cordelia's breath caught in her throat, and she could feel the ache of despair in her chest as she realized that Madison was never going to bring Melanie back for them.

"She lost, fair and square." Madison said proudly. "It's not my fault."

"Madison," Myrtle said, with the threat of tears in her eyes, "if you refuse this, then you don't deserve to be Supreme."

"What's deserve got to do with any of this?" Madison scoffed. "You can't disqualify me. Either I'm Supreme or I'm not. And, obviously, I am. You know, I'm starting to think Fiona had the right idea." She brushed her hands off while she moved to take one last look at Melanie's pale, bloodstained face. "I'm thinking very seriously about doing the same thing." She looked back at the older witches. "So either crown me or kiss my ass." With that she stalked off without a single ounce of care for the pain she was causing them.

It felt like ages passed while they sat in together in the sitting room, with only each other and their grief to keep them company.

"I can feel all their eyes on me," Cordelia said, sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace with Myrtle while they mourned their loss. She could feel the scorn of all the previous Supremes judging her. "I failed. I let this coven fall into ruin." She blamed herself for Melanie's death.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Delia," Myrtle said, smoking her fifth cigarette in a row. "You did all you could."

"Not enough. If Madison Montgomery really is all that's left to us, maybe it is better this way. Maybe we deserve to die out," Cordelia said bitterly. Maybe poor Melanie was better off dead.

"I'll confess, I've had similar dark thoughts," Myrtle admitted. "I was so certain about Misty Day. Or even our dear Melanie and Zoe. They both had the makings of fine leaders."

Tired of being alone, Queenie decided to check on Zoe and Kyle. She found Zoe sitting in the corner of the room they used to share, hugging her knees. She lifted her tearstained face to look up when she heard the door, but quickly lowered it and looked away to avoid eye contact. "Where's Kyle?" Queenie asked.

"He's with Melanie. He wanted to see her again. I couldn't stop him," Zoe said, cradling her face in her hands as she started to cry again. "It's my fault. She pushed me out the way. I felt it. It would've been me on that fence if she hadn't. She's dead because she saved me… I should be the one lying on that table right now. It's all my fault," she sobbed. Queenie took a deep breath and crossed the room to sit down next Zoe and put and arm her.

"It's not your fault." She said quietly. "That's just how she was."

Kyle sniffed, struggling to breathe as he took Melanie's hand and kissed it while he held it in his own. He couldn't stand to see the blood splattered on her from her wound, so he had taken time to caringly wipe it from her face and neck. He had always liked her best this way, clean face with no makeup. His body shook with a deep sob. Some loose snot was leaking from his nose, but he didn't care. The only thing he could feel now was immeasurable pain and anguish. He had never been lonelier in his entire life. It felt as though he would never be happy again. If breaking up with him was Melanie's hell, then this would surely be his. "Why'd you leave me?" he whimpered, his voice soft and raw from crying, sniffing while he held her cold hand pressed to his face. "You said you'd never leave me." He kissed her hand again, longing for her smile and the warmth of her touch. If only fairy tales could come true. If true love's kiss really could break curses and resurrect the dead, he would have brought her back hours ago. But this was not a fairy tale. It was cold, harsh reality. And his princess stayed dead.

"Oh, I can't believe she was right," Cordelia lamented. "It was Madison all this time. My mother was always right."

"That's not true," Myrtle told her. "She was never right about you."

"Well, I guess it's different when it's your own family," Cordelia said. Myrtle looked at her and was suddenly overcome with a magnificent revelation.

"How true is it that prophet is never recognized in his own country?" she said, wondering how she ever could have been so slow. "Madison was not born to the Supremacy. But you, Cordelia, you have royal blood flowing through your veins."

Cordelia titled her head slightly in the direction of the older woman and asked, "What are you saying?"

"I was a fool not to have realized it earlier, seeking all this time in the dust for that which may have been right before us all along," Myrtle replied, looking at her little bird with hope and wonder.

"I-I don't understand," Cordelia said, her confusion only deepening.

"First, you were suppressed by your mother, then by your own theories. You have great power, my girl, power that has been seeking expression in these young vessels. But it's in you," Myrtle explained earnestly. "You must let it out. You must perform the Seven Wonders."

"You think I could be next Supreme?" Cordelia asked, stunned. "That I could bring Melanie back?"

"I'd stake your life on it," Myrtle answered, her eyes shining with tears of hope. "Yours and hers."

They began her tests for the Seven Wonders the next morning. Myrtle had Queenie, Zoe, and Madison gather with them around the table set up in the sitting room to bear witness, but Cordelia wanted to leave Kyle alone to avoid getting his hopes up in case they were once again cruelly disappointed by the results. Cordelia had Queenie and Zoe's full support, but Madison, naturally, was a different story. Madison sighed in annoyance. "I know what you guys are doing," she told them. "You want me to finish the Seven Wonders, so you're trumping up some competition. I'm not stupid."

"Yes, you are," Queenie retorted coolly.

"Are you ready?" Zoe asked Cordelia. Cordelia removed her sunglasses and carefully reached out to hold her hand over the candle. Madison played boredly with her hair, never once imagining the blind witch could actually pose a threat. So she was the most shocked one in the room when Cordelia managed to light the fireplace as well as a candle. Myrtle couldn't have been more proud. Zoe and Queenie shared a look of hope while Cordelia smiled at her accomplishment. Madison scoffed in disbelief.

They ignored her and continued on with the next test, Concilium. Myrtle, Zoe, and Madison watched from the side while Queenie dance continuously under Cordelia's influence. Cordelia had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh at the image she had of it in her head. She was beginning to gain more confidence in her powers. She was beginning to dare hope that maybe she really could save Melanie.

Telekinesis. This was no lame repeat of the sliding candle trick the girls had done. Instead, Cordelia raised her both of her hands, and with them rose the piano. She set it down carefully, but the heavy piano still made a deep _thump_ when it touched the floor again. Madison glanced between her and the piano she just lifted with a stunned expression on her face, mouth agape in surprise.

Descensum. Cordelia lay down in the middle of the floor and chanted the spell to descend into the netherworld as soon as Myrtle tilted the hourglass. The others sat down and waited, and waited. There were only a few minutes left in the hour, but Cordelia did it. She returned. Zoe, Queenie, and Myrtle leapt to their feet to rush to her side the second she bolted upright with a large, desperate gasp for air. Madison tried not to look too eager or nervous while she lingered a little ways behind them. "What did you see?" Myrtle asked Cordelia while they helped her stand.

"Me," Cordelia said, panting, "trying to get Fiona's approval and getting bitch-slapped for it." In the blink of an eye, she was gone.

"Not exactly new," she finished from the other side of the room, making the other witches turn to face her.

"Transmutation. That's five wonders accomplished," Myrtle said. "Let us move to the sixth, Divination. Cordelia…"

"Fine," Madison said quickly, interrupting her. "Okay, I'm back in." Queenie let out a derisive laugh, while Zoe rolled her eyes. "What? It's only fair," Madison said defensively. "This thing started as a competition. I say we end it like one. Divination. Let's rock."

"Hidden in this house are items belonging to former Supremes," Myrtle said as she approached the table, where the others were waiting for her, and poured cup of pebbles out onto its flat surface. "Cordelia, divine in the pebbles the location of the item which belonged to Mimi DeLongpre." Cordelia leaned forward carefully and held her hands over the pebbles, tracing the pattern of their fall delicately with the tips of her fingers.

"Who knew the test came in Braille?" Madison remarked sassily.

"Shh," Queenie hushed her. They watched quietly while Cordelia shifted some of the pebbles around.

"Southwest corner," Cordelia said abruptly. "Up the stairs, second door down the hall, beneath the dresser." Myrtle looked to Zoe and nodded for her to retrieve the item from the specified location. She already knew the answer since she had been the one to set everything up, but she kept her expression neutral. Queenie soon returned with the item, which had been in the exact spot Cordelia described, and set it down on the table. It was an old piece of jewelry made with gleaming gems. Despite her inability to physically see the item, Cordelia knew exactly what it was. "The antique broach presented to Mimi DeLongpre on the night of the Great Ascension."

"Correct," Myrtle confirmed.

Queenie grabbed the bronze cup, slid it down the table to Madison, and said, "Your turn, hotshot." Madison caught it and used telekinesis to transfer all of the pebbles back into the vessel. Then she picked it up and tossed them out on the table again.

"Divine for us the location of the object belonging to Supreme Anna Leigh Leighton, Madison," Myrtle instructed her. This was the only test that Madison hadn't passed yet. If she failed here, then couldn't be Supreme. The tension was palpable. Madison stared at the small stones on the table. Her eyes darted around nervously. She could feel the others watching her, waiting for her to fail. She would never admit to them that she had no idea how Cordelia did it or what she was supposed to be 'seeing'. All she saw was a bunch of stupid rocks.

"This is stupid. I'm not doing it," she said.

"Because you can't?" Queenie asked.

"Let me show you some real power. Let's go into the greenhouse right now, and I'll bring Melanie back to life," Madison said haughtily, hoping it would distract them from the fact that she hadn't divined a damn thing.

"Divination first," Myrtle said firmly. "We're doing this by the book."

"I'm sick of your book." Madison retorted. "I have so many powers, I could tear this room apart until there's nothing left but your little trinkets, but, no, I have to do this bullshit!" she ranted with frustration, slamming her fist on the table.

"Fail," Myrtle stated automatically.

"Wait," Madison said, anxious to hold onto the crown. She exhaled and leaned over to hold her hands over the scattered pebbles. "The vase above the fireplace." Myrtle looked to Queenie this time. Madison put her hands on her hips, doing her best not to look nervous, while she watched Queenie walk over to check the vase on the Mantelpiece.

"Wrong," Queenie said, and not at all sorry for it.

"The piano," Madison said quickly. "I meant… I meant the piano. There's something in the thing." She glanced nervously at Myrtle as Queenie moved to check the small coffered box sitting on top of the piano next. It was empty, too.

"Girl, no," Queenie told her.

Madison scoffed. "This is bullshit."

"Cordelia did it," Zoe reminded her.

"Because the game is rigged, Zoe. Wake up!" Madison snapped furiously.

"You would accuse us of chicanery?" Myrtle asked.

"You bet your bony ass," Madison sneered, stomping over to the cigarette dispenser to grab one. "I never had a shot at running this shithole coven." She picked up the lighter while she talked and struggled to strike a flame. She grunted in annoyance and put her cigarette in her mouth so she could use both hands and finally got the damn thing lit. She drew on the cigarette and exhaled the smoke before removing from her mouth to continue her rant. "I didn't even want to come here in the first place. It's all just some jacked-up version of _Celebrity Rehab._ I'm out of here." She slammed the lighter back down on the table and started to stomp off.

"Thus endeth your Seven Wonders," Myrtle concluded with no small measure of relief.

"Oh, no shit, lady!" Madison said bitterly, spinning around to face them. "I'm going back to Hollywood where people are normal. And I suggest you change the locks because when I tell TMZ everything, it won't be long before the torches, pitchforks, and Molotov cocktails become a real big part of your day. _Peace out!"_ she shouted on her way out. Myrtle and Queenie shared a small smile, glad to see the back of her. Cordelia and Zoe remained a little more reserved, already thinking ahead of Melanie's lifeless body in the greenhouse and the final test.

Madison stormed into her room awash with the overwhelming mixture of failure, rejection, and self-pity. She couldn't hold back the tears as she dragged her large designer trunk from the closet and dropped it on her bed. She whimpered miserably and sniffed to keep her nose from running as she stomped back to the closet to retrieve some clothes. She stopped short, startled to see Kyle standing at the back. She had forgotten her room shared a closet with the next one. The door behind him was open, so he must have come through that way. "What do you want, dumbass?" she spat despairingly at him while she grabbed am armful of clothes to take back to her bed, too wrapped up in her own problems to actually care. Kyle stepped out into her room.

"You let her die," he stated in an eerily calm voice with accusing eyes. Madison tried to move past him to get back into her closet, but he wasn't having it. She gasped in alarm, startled when he suddenly grabbed her by the throat and held her there in front of him, forcing her to face him. "Why… did you let her die?" he demanded calmly.

"I…" Madison's breath caught in her throat. The dark look in his eyes frightened her. He slammed her backwards onto the bed when she didn't answer right away. Madison shrieked with terror.

They had no idea that at that moment, Cordelia was already in the greenhouse, leaning over Melanie's corpse to perform Vitalum Vitalis.

"You know that dark place!" Kyle screamed furiously at Madison, pressing her further into the bed. "We've both been there!" Her breathing was raspy and panicked. "We both came back," he continued, ignoring the pitiful whimper she made. "Why!?" he demanded desperately. Why did she leave Melanie there? Why did she take her away from him?

"I did it for us," Madison cried. "I love you. I love you. Please. Please," she begged, sobbing anxiously. She was desperate to escape. Madison looked up at him, eyes begging for mercy. She just needed to fool him long enough to get him to let go.

"You're not that good an actress," he said quietly, staring back at her with a cold, indifferent look in his dark eyes chilled her to the bone, unmoved. Madison gasped in fear when his grip tightened around her throat again.

"Stop! No!" She screamed, struggling against him with all her might while his hands continued to close tighter around her neck like a vice.

Back in the greenhouse, Cordelia finished gathering her power, focused her intention, and exhaled, willing the young witch she cherished like a daughter to come back to her. Queenie subtly reached her hands out to Zoe and Myrtle, and the three witches held hands while they watched, praying for a miracle while they waited anxiously for the results.

A strangled cry escaped Madison's constricted throat as she continued to paw desperately at Kyle in attempt to save herself. He continued to strangle her. He couldn't forgive Madison for what she had done. That part of him had shut down. Only the darkness was left. He clenched his hands and felt her throat collapse under his grip. He throttled her until her erratic movements slowed, grunting as he gave her neck a violent shake. Something snapped, and the light left her eyes. Madison Montgomery had breathed her last.

The sound of a loud, high-pitched gasp pierced the silence in the greenhouse when Melanie Snow took her first breath in over twelve hours. As she bolted up into a sitting position on the table, Cordelia closed her eyes and collapsed onto the floor. Melanie took a deep breath and gazed around with wide eyes, wondering why the other three witches staring at her looked like they were about to cry.

Kyle stared down at Madison's lifeless body sprawled awkwardly on the bed. Killing her hadn't made him feel any better. He would always feel empty without Melanie. His eyes widened in surprise when a hand suddenly appeared, stroking Madison's hair with the disembodied doll hand it was holding. He looked up, following the hand to an arm, to a shoulder, to a neck, and then to a face. The lined face of an older man with long, scraggily hair, a beard, and poor hygiene who was dressed in a black suit similar to the one he wore as a butler. Kyle watched warily as the man leaned down to examine Madison more closely. "She'd already started packing. That's helpful," the strange man said. "No one will wonder where the body went once we bury her."

"Who the hell are you?" Kyle asked.

Spalding blinked and straightened up to face his successor. "The help."

While a bewildered Melanie and the others watched Cordelia stumble back onto her feet, she recalled the words she had once told her when she first asked her teacher what a Supreme was: _The hallmark of any rising Supreme is glowing, radiant health._ Melanie gazed at her teacher and mother-figure in awe. Not only had Cordelia's eyes completely healed and returned to their original color, every single plant in the greenhouse had burst into bloom, affected by the positive energy radiating from. Cordelia looked at her and smiled. And Melanie smiled back, because she knew what it meant even without being told.

"Behold," Myrtle said, glowing with admiration. "The one, true Supreme."

Melanie was soon filled in on everything she missed. She shared a tearful but very joyous and heartfelt reunion with Kyle, and that night they all celebrated Cordelia's rise to the Supremacy. As far as everyone was concerned, it was a happy ending. The witches assumed Madison had left to return to Hollywood, and Kyle let them. He never told any of them what he had done or where he had buried her, not even Melanie. The only other soul who knew was Spalding, his ghostly predecessor. And Spalding had reassured him that his actions, while they could be considered morally questionable by some, had served to protect the coven. In fact, Spalding hinted that he may have offed Madison himself if the boy hadn't gotten to her first. Now that Fiona was gone, his loyalties were no longer split. Protecting the coven was everything to him. Zoe would never be his favorite witch, but, strangely enough, he did not seem to hold any particular grudge against her for killing him. If anything, he felt that she had set him free. He could now move through the house at will unseen. He knew all its secrets, and he no longer had to fear his tongue would betray him. For the truth spell had been cast upon his physical body and had no effect on a spirit being. The biggest rough patch came when they discovered the baby he was hiding. Spalding was loath to give up his living doll, but in the end he was able to keep little Ceci, because they had no idea who his parents were since Marie got rid of his hospital I.D. bracelet when she stole him, so the poor child would most likely end up in a foster home if they turned him in to the proper authorities. And Cordelia sensed that the child was something rare—a male witch. It was agreed that if anyone asked, they would claim the baby had been left on their doorstep. Zoe was put in a tight spot when the question of how he died came up, but Spalding said he didn't want to press charges; so further investigation into the matter was suspended. Other than that, the first couple of months following Cordelia's coronation were spent on a surprising amount of paperwork, repairing damages made to the school during their scuffle with Marie before she turned ally, and negotiating with what remained of the Voodoo community. They also finally followed up on the investigation into the drugs Melanie confiscated from Michael for suppressing a witch's powers and had the concoction analyzed. They were still looking for something to counter it as an antidote. Once they felt that they were near a solution, Cordelia decided it was time to go ahead with the next stage in her agenda: going public. They were all shocked and surprised when she revealed her intentions for the future of the coven, but after all of the pros and cons had been weighed, they decided this move would probably help them more than it would hurt them. With all the ever-advancing technology and new social medias, there would soon be nowhere left to hide anyway. They might as well try to get ahead of the curve by coming out on their own terms. It was time to bring the coven out of the Dark Ages.

There was an understandable uproar among the media, which culminated in Cordelia eventually granting a one on one interview with a well-known reporter to be aired on live television right in their sitting room, while the rest of them watch from the side through the open doorway of Cordelia's office. "Since your extraordinary public statement last month, there's been quite a bit of fanfare," he said. "This frank revelation about your cult—that's sparked quite a brouhaha in the media, and…"

"Let me clarify that, Bill," Cordelia said, stopping him for a moment. "We are not a cult. We-we don't proselytize. We have no agenda, we're not recruiting. Women who identify as witches are born as such, and their abilities—which we call powers—are part of who they are, a part of their DNA, if you will."

"Oh, I see," Bill said. "So, in fact, you're saying that it's not a choice, being a witch."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. There are so many young witches who have resisted their calling because they're afraid… of how they may be perceived, or what's expected of them," Cordelia explained.

"But there are still hate crimes," Bill pointed out with concern.

"That is true, but, you know, when you hide in the shadows, you are less visible, you have less protection," Cordelia replied. "We'll always be targets for the ignorant. It is what it is. But we are strong women, Bill."

"So, what would you like to say to all the girls watching and wondering if they might be witches?" Bill asked.

Cordelia looked at the camera. "Call us, e-mail us, or just come to New Orleans. There is a home and a family waiting for you," she said, giving all the potential new students watching a warm, inviting smile while the station displayed their contact information at the bottom of the screen. Melanie smiled as she watched, holding Kyle's hand. She was so proud of how far her mother-figure and mentor had come.

So many applications came flooding in that Cordelia had to start marking a nationwide map to help her keep track of all their locations. It would seem their line was not near its end after all. She was adding another pin to the board when Myrtle opened the door to her office.

"I'm so proud of you," Myrtle said, causing her to turn around to face her. Cordelia smiled and added another pin.

"We need to discuss the Council," she said. "We've never had young witches on the Council, and Melanie, Queenie, and Zoe deserve an elevated role here at the school to set them apart. I know the Council usually only consists of three witches at a time, but… What so you think?"

"I would start by telling them that being an authority figure requires you to make hard, unpopular decisions for the greater good," Myrtle replied.

"They've matured so much, I think they can handle it," Cordelia said, glowing with pride for her students.

Myrtle already knew that very well. "I was talking about you."

Cordelia stopped fiddling with the files and looked up at her. "Me?"

"You have every chance to be the greatest Supreme this coven has ever seen," Myrtle told her.

"Stop," Cordelia said humbly, holding up a hand.

"Delia, I have something to say, and your tasteful modesty is out of fashion, so knock it off. Thanks to you, we're entering a new era. You've planted the seeds, but in order to reap their harvest, you have to clear the rot of the past," Myrtle said, stepping into the room to approach her.

"Myrtle, you know I love your metaphors, but I have no idea what you're talking about," Cordelia replied.

"Me. I'm talking about me," Myrtle said. Cordelia's smile fell. "We all know what happens to a witch who grievously harms another witch." They both knew she was the reason for the disappearance of Quentin and Pembroke's sudden and mysterious disappearance.

Cordelia's heart was in her throat. She swallowed. "I hope you're not suggesting…"

"I'm not suggesting," Myrtle said firmly. "I'm insisting."

Cordelia stared at her for a moment before taking a step closer to confront her. "You want to be burned at the stake? Again? What about Melanie?"

"Want has nothing to do with it," Myrtle replied. "And Melanie will be eighteen in a few days. She doesn't need me for a legal guardian anymore. We both know she's more than capable of taking care of herself, and she'll have you and Kyle with her. At the start of your glorious reign, the last thing you need is an ABSCAM or Watergate. I killed, and I must pay for it. Now, before word leaks, and you are tainted by my hubris and actions, however deserved."

"Myrtle, stop talking. I didn't hear this," Cordelia said. "I didn't."

"Listen to me, child," Myrtle said gently. "My life's work is fulfilled. I've made many painful mistakes in my life. I want my death to have some meaning."

"No! No way!" Cordelia protested, on the verge of tears. She couldn't lose her again. "You were my mother, my true mother, just as you promised you would be, and I can't do this without you."

"Stiff upper lip, my dear. Everything you say or do ripples through the entire coven. You cannot be a hypocrite," Myrtle said firmly. "I won't stand for it."

When Cordelia had finished crying and finally decided to accept Myrtle's decision, they broke the news to Melanie. To say that Melanie didn't like it would be an understatement, but she understood why it was necessary and respected Myrtle's resolve. Many tears were shed that night. Kyle had wanted to accompanying Melanie to comfort her through the traumatic event, but she didn't want to put him through that. Just knowing that he would be waiting for her was enough. The next morning, they all dressed in black and escorted Myrtle to her death along with her two albino guards, who were there to assist in her execution. This time, Myrtle was going out in style. She walked freely through the gravel pit, unbound, in a glorious red gown designed by Carolina Herrera and couture sunglasses, holding her head and black umbrella high. She was followed by her two guards, once again carrying rope and kerosene. Behind them was Cordelia with Melanie, Queenie, and Zoe. They were all dressed in black for the occasion. Myrtle was glad to say that Cordelia looked very elegant in the black fur coat she wore over her dress and the classic black fascinator with birdcage netting on her head. And Melanie, oh, Melanie! She didn't know how the dear girl had managed to get ahold of it when she only ever shopped at Good Will, but she was paying tribute to her love for fashion in a vintage, knee-length Cristobal Balenciaga evening gown with long sleeves from the 50s made of black silk jersey, silk faille, with sequins and jet beading on the skirt. Over that, she wore an open long, fitted black wool coat, and a black lace veil covered her head. Myrtle stepped up willing to be tied to the stake, and was anointed with splashes of Kerosene. Cordelia and Melanie looked like they wanted to cry, but they stayed strong for her.

"In the absence of the Council, as reigning Supreme of this coven, I hereby decree…" Cordelia said, pausing while two birds of prey shrieked in the background, "… for the murders of our sister witch Cecily Pembroke and our colleague Quentin Fleming, you… Myrtle Snow… are hereby sentenced to death by fire."

"Delia… Melanie… my sweet daughters, I have never been more proud," Myrtle said bravely.

"Any last words?" Cordelia asked.

"Only one," Myrtle replied. The name of her favorite designer of all time, whom she considered to be the culmination of the artistry and elegance of fashion. She belted it out in a powerful voice that echoed throughout their surroundings. "Balenciaga!" Melanie looked down and bit her lip, almost smiling, despite her watery eyes. That was so like her. With tears in her eyes, Cordelia raised her hand and set Myrtle aflame. Myrtle screamed in agony, and they had to avert their ryes from the terrible sight while Cordelia increased the power behind the fire to finish her off as quickly as possible in order to prevent her from suffering any more than necessary. Once Myrtle was gone from this world, the witches left to return to the academy, leaving her bodyguards to carry out their last duty to Myrtle by thoroughly disposing of her body.

When the day came to reopen the school for the new semester, Queenie and Zoe were surprised to look out the window and see how many had come. "You gotta check this shit out," Queenie said, pulling the curtain open more to give Zoe a better view. Melanie, who sometimes assisted Cordelia with sorting the applications, had hinted at the large number of girls who passed their screening test to weed out the true witches from the wannabes, but this was insane. There was a line of black as far as the eye could see. (They had decided to make that part of the school's dress code, because Fiona may have been a crappy Supreme, but she was right about wearing black.)

"Line's around the block," Zoe said, amazed. "Where are we gonna put all these girls?"

"We'll buy more houses if we have to," Cordelia said as she entered the room.

"The house next door is still up for grabs. We could take down the fence and expand the campus," Melanie suggested, coming to join them after having just finished helping Kyle with a few finishing touches.

Cordelia looked at all three of her students and smiled. "Look at you. You three are powerful witches with more skills and confidence at your young age than I had for much of my life. I need all of you to help me fulfill the promise of all this coven can be. A place to protect, develop, and celebrate witches. You will not only be my right hands, you will be my Council. Queenie's brows shot up and her jaw dropped open slightly, while Melanie's and Zoe's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. They were all surprised and very honored that she would trust them with such an important position. "What do you say?" Cordelia asked.

"I got your back," Queenie said with a smile, taking her hand the moment she recovered.

"Good. And you?" Cordelia asked Zoe.

"I'd be honored," Zoe said, also taking her hand.

Cordelia smiled. "Melanie?"

"Of course," Melanie said, returning her smile as she stepped up to place her hands over Queenie's and Zoe's. Cordelia glowed with pride.

"Should we open the doors now?" Zoe asked.

Cordelia's smile faltered a little when she heard the distant echo of a familiar laugh. "Not yet," she told the girls. "Stay here. There's just one more thing I need to deal with."

Cordelia's footsteps echoed through the empty hall as she approached the source of the tugging sensation she felt in her mind. She could see her mother's figure lounging in a chair in the shadows by the sitting room's windows from the open doorway. The smoke from her cigarette formed white wisps in the sunlight. "I saw you die."

"Look again… now that you have real vision." Fiona told her.

Cordelia closed her eyes and activated her Sight. The vision started out the same, with the Axeman confronting her mother about the plane ticket. But this time, Fiona answered him with a light chuckle and said, "You men, with your fragile egos. We still have a deal, babe." Her mother took the ticket back and leaned close to him while she carefully explained her real plan. Fiona was only going to Paris for a couple of days, just until they had finished performing the Seven Wonders so that she could find out who the next Supreme was. When the Axeman asked why Cordelia would decide to make the girls perform the test, Fiona said, "Because the old Supreme will be dead. Or at least that's what she'll think." But she also said that she would need his help. She warned him that it wouldn't be pleasant for him, but promised him the world if he did it right. Then Fiona told him that she would be planting a vision in his brain, a false memory. When the Axeman asked her what would happen when he woke up from his vision, Fiona replied, "You'll figure it out." She spit in a glass of whiskey and offered it to him, but he opted for a more direct means of swapping spit. Fiona kissed him deeply, and he fainted back onto his bed when she finished planting the new memory. She then took a bucket of blood and smeared its contents all over his hands and axe, splattering some on his face, to make it look like a murder had taken place. Fiona took the bucket and left, shutting the door behind her. When the Axeman awoke, he was convinced that he had killed her because of the things Cordelia told him. The vision ended, and Cordelia opened her eyes again.

"I ruined a perfectly good pair of Jimmy Choos," Fiona said, mourning only the loss of her footwear. The new Supreme began to approach the old Supreme carefully while she talked. "But I knew you'd get rid of him for me, once he served his purpose."

"Who's blood was it?" Cordelia asked.

"A goat's," Fiona replied. "I never killed anybody.

"Not yet," Cordelia added for her. She knew better than to let her guard down now. "But that _is_ what you came here to do." She raised her hand and used telekinesis to flick the light on so she could have a better look at the woman before her. Although she didn't show it, she was shocked by the extreme change in her mother's appearance.

Fiona made a short chuckle and gestured to her withered face and thinned hair. She looked so weak and fragile, like a living skeleton made of paper. Her voice came out weak and raspy. "That was the plan. Let you do the dirty work. Identify the Supreme and then I come in and take her out."

"Makes it a little harder when it turns out to be your own daughter," Cordelia said.

"Not really," Fiona replied.

Cordelia raised her eyebrows slightly and then let out a quick, dry laugh, and moved to have a seat in the chair parallel to her mother's. "You didn't come here to kill me. You were hoping I'd put you out of your misery, but I don't need to. You're close. I doubt you'll make it through the night."

"Might make you feel good, though," Fiona said with another chuckle.

"Is that why you were always so awful to me?" Cordelia asked. "Because you knew I was going to take your power someday?"

"You took my power… the minute I gave birth to you," Fiona told her. "A woman becomes a mother, she can't help but see her mortality in that cherubic little face. Every time I looked at you, I saw my own death. You were a constant reminder… of my worst fears."

"Oh, and all this time, I thought you just didn't like me," Cordelia said. She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes.

"It was nothing personal, darling," Fiona assured her. She paused to take another puff from her cigarette. "I loved you plenty, though. Just my own way. Which I'll admit has its limitations." Cordelia smiled dryly. "Your fault was you were always looking for another version of motherhood." Fiona exhaled. "I can feel the power vibrating off of you. It feels good, doesn't it? Hmm? It's mine, you know? When it came into you, it left me. The law of conservation of energy. I had to die for you to truly live." Cordelia blinked and looked away, wiping her tears before they could ruin her makeup. "Crying over me," Fiona said. "Isn't that the ultimate twist."

"I'm not crying over you," Cordelia said, turning back to face her. "I'm crying for me. You were the monster in every one of my closets." She watched Fiona slide her lighter out of the way to touch the handle of the knife that was resting on the table next to it. "A lifetime spent either trying to prove myself to you, get close to you, or get away from you. I'm crying for the girl in me who dies when you die."

Fiona picked up the knife and held it up for her. "Then kill them both right now. Huh? They both hurt too much. And when we're finally gone, you will fulfill your destiny and lead this coven. God knows you'll do a better job than I ever did, though you won't look half as good doing it." Cordelia nodded her head slightly in concession and smiled a little. "Come on," Fiona said, struggling onto her feet with her frail body and high stiletto heels to inch close enough to be able to put the knife in her daughter's hands. "For God's sake… have mercy on me. Put me out of my misery." She had to lean against the table for support. Her eyes shined with pain and desperation. "I hurt everywhere."

Cordelia stood up and gently took the knife from her mother's hands. She set it aside. "You're scared," she said, taking the vulnerable woman into her arms. "Maybe for the first time in your life. No powers, no magic. Just a woman facing the inevitable." She could feel her mother trembling in her embrace. "A divine being finally having a human experience." Fiona sniffled as she drew away to look her in the eyes. Cordelia kept a soft, but firm grip on her shoulders. "No one can help you, Mother. You have to do this alone. And the only way out… is through. So feel the fear and the pain. Let it all in… and then let it all go." Fiona nodded sadly and a sob escaped her lips as she pulled her daughter into another hug and held her close for comfort.

Cordelia wrapped her arms around her. "I don't think we ever hugged." She heard her mother give a sniffle and another cry. And then the shell of the mighty woman she once knew went very still and crumpled in her arms with the passing of her soul. Cordelia held her mother's dead body and cried.

That was how her new Council found her, and she knew that she had made the right decision when she chose them, because they let her cry until she'd had her fill, and then Queenie and Melanie quietly moved Fiona's body and placed it on the bed in her old room while Zoe called and made the arrangements for her body to be retrieved by a mortician. They could afford to give their old Supreme a proper burial since she had died from natural causes. Then they gave Cordelia time to pull herself together and fix her makeup. They waited for her to finish at the bottom of the stairs. When Cordelia was ready to face the world again, she descended the stairs to join the girls.

"All right…" Cordelia said, exhaling, "let's open the doors." Melanie looked to Kyle to let him know it was time and smiled a little when she saw how handsome he looked in his new uniform. He smiled back and went to hold the door open for the new students. Cordelia and the girls followed him to greet and direct the students, walking in a diamond formation, with Queenie on Cordelia's right, Zoe on her left, and Melanie taking up the rear position at the back. Kyle helped some of the students with their luggage and showed them to their rooms. Melanie noted a number of girls she was going to have to watch out for from the way they smiled a little too much at him, but Kyle noticed her and gave her a reassuring smile. Neither of them would ever have to share the other ever again. Cordelia gave the new girls a speech similar to the one she gave to Melanie, Queenie, and Zoe when they first came to the school, but with some marked changes. "Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies was established as a premier girl's finishing school in 1790. Afterwards it came under new management. Our management. We survived. Up until now, that's all we've done. But as I look at your faces—all of the beautiful, all of them perfect—I know together… we can do more than survive. It's our time to thrive."

"What's a Supreme?" one of the new girls asked from the crowded hallway.

"You're looking at her," Queenie answered, glancing up at Cordelia, who graced them all with a kind smile. This generation represented the new era, a chance for a new beginning. This school was just the start.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm planning on doing a Murder House/Season 1 story next that will be set to pick up near the season's epilogue in 2015. So the new family of OCs will not only have to deal with the ghosts and the darkness possessing the house, they'll have a homicidal little antichrist next door. Should be fun, right? If you want to see More of Melanie and Kyle, don't worry. I plan to do a Hotel story after the next one that will link all three seasons together, so they should make some nice cameo appearances. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story!

** For anyone interested, the next one will be called "Heart-Shaped Box" and will probably move from a rating of T to R as it progresses (because Tate's a little trash king and some horror violence and other mature themes).


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